Chasing Price
by LiSmut
Summary: Story takes place not long before Max returns to the Bay, however she is mentioned. Spoilers: BtS references and themes, canon themes with LiS, too. Headcanons for the gap between games. [warning: smut, nsfw]. 18 year old Victoria Chase loves chasing success. Rich, popular and competitive in nature, she has it all. Except one thing - the attention of Chloe Price.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Chloe stands with her back to the wall of the Blackwell gymnasium, one foot propped up against the wall, staring down into her drink. Two hours have passed since Rachel had dragged her to this party, hosted by Blackwell's most elite assholes, the Vortex Club. Chloe hates coming to these parties, but Rachel always insists and she can't say no to her. On the bright side, they are always welcomed into the VIP section, thanks to Rachel and her popularity, where free booze and drugs are aplenty.

Chloe shifts from her position against the wall, taking a swig of her drink, before leaning back again, propping up her other foot instead. Glancing around the VIP room, she surveys a sea of bodies swaying to this awful music she hates, all sweaty and drunk. She recognises a few people from her own days at Blackwell Academy and from previous parties, but remembering their names has never been her strongest suit. Or something she cares to do, in all honesty. Plus, at this point she's on her eighth beer and is surprised she's managing to stand at all, let alone still being aware of her surroundings.

After taking another swig, Chloe scans the room for the only face she cares to see. It isn't long before she spots the gorgeous girl dancing with a bunch of drama club students. Rachel, as always, looks stunning, wearing her usual party get-up of a ripped tee and shorts. Chloe sighs to herself as she watches Rachel sway her body from side to side to the music, her long hair falling in her face before being flipped to the side, in sync with the beat. Chloe's gaze lowers to Rachel's legs, before quickly finding its way up to her ass. Memories of her and Rachel in bed fill her thoughts, their naked bodies pressed together, Rachel's body shaking and spasming underneath her in climax...

Chloe realises she's been staring for a while, because when she finally looks up at Rachel's face again, she catches her looking back with a mischievous and flirtatious smile on her face. Chloe's face flushes red slightly before she quickly takes another swig from her beer and looks away from Rachel's direction.

Placing her foot back on the floor, Chloe reaches into her jacket pocket, rifling through it for her cigarettes.

"Like what you see, Price?" she hears a familiar voice say.

"Always", Chloe mumbles, not looking up from the floor, her hand still searching for her cigarettes.

"What was that?" Rachel says in Chloe's ear, moving her body close into hers.

Chloe sighs, giving up her search for cigarettes, before looking up at Rachel, who's only inches away from her face. The smell of jasmine suddenly starts overpowering her senses, taking her back to the days when she first met Rachel and first noticed her perfume.

Leaning in closer to Rachel, Chloe plants a quick kiss on her neck, taking in more of her scent, causing her to get slightly turned on.

"Rach, let's get out of here", she says, moving away from Rachel's neck and looking her straight in the eyes.

"Chloe... You know we can't. We both agreed we wouldn't do this anymore," Rachel responds, crossing her arms across her chest, avoiding Chloe's eyes and staring anxiously down at the floor.

"You're right, I'm sorry. Forget I said it." Chloe moves away from Rachel, sticking her hand back in her pocket and taking another swig of beer.

"I promised Dana I'd stay until later this time", Rachel says, briefly moving in again and leaning her head on Chloe's shoulder, before looking up at her again, "I can see her calling me over... Do you mind getting me a drink from the bar?"

"Sure," Chloe sighs, pushing herself up off against the wall and making her way towards the bar.

The bar is busy and Chloe has to wait for a couple of others to get served first. She leans an arm against the edge of it and glances round once again. She spots an awkward looking girl dancing terribly in the crowd of people. Seeing her, Max enters Chloe's thoughts and she wonders what her long lost friend is getting up to right now. Chloe sighs again, resigning herself to the belief that whatever it is Max is up to, it must be far better than what she's doing right now.

Whilst Chloe is lost in her thoughts, she hasn't noticed a tall, short haired blonde has approached the bar to talk to a tall, long haired jock.

"Zach, come on. You know you've been wanting this for a while now," Victoria says, her hands on her hips, glancing up at him.

The sound of Victoria's voice snaps Chloe back into reality and she glances up to see her and the jock stood a couple feet in front of her.

"Not now, Vic. This party is lit and Logan said he can hook us up with some good shit."

"Fuck Logan. Let's just get out of here already," Victoria fires back.

"I can't. I'm here with Dana, remember?"

"Fuck Dana, too."

"I plan on it," Zach responds, before walking away from the bar and leaving Victoria stood there alone.

Chloe audibly smirks at what she just witnessed, causing Victoria to whip her head around and look at her.

"What the fuck are you laughing at?" she spits.

"You try too hard," Chloe says.

Victoria folds her arms across her chest and leans her head to the side, taking in the blue haired mess stood in front of her. She notices Chloe's wearing her usual jacket, tank top, ripped jeans and suspenders.

"What would trash like you know about this sort of thing, anyway?" Victoria snaps.

Chloe laughs again, causing Victoria to look even more visibly angry."Hey, I'm not the one who just threw herself on someone and got rejected."

"Oh, really?" Victoria says, uncrossing her arms and putting her hands back on her hips, taking a step closer to Chloe.

"Yeah, really," Chloe snaps back, pushing herself off from against the bar and staring back at Victoria, her mischievous smile remaining.

"Didn't seem that way to me."

Chloe's smile vanishes and a confused look replaces it."What the fuck are you on about?"

This time it's Victoria's turn to smirk at Chloe, before turning around and glancing over at Rachel, who's busy dancing with Dana.

Chloe follows Victoria's gaze and immediately feels herself feeling stupid.

"Touche," Chloe says, causing Victoria to look back at her.

Victoria doesn't respond, instead choosing to give her best bitch smile at Chloe before walking away with the drink the bartender handed her.

"Hey, that's my drink!" Chloe shouts after her.

"Fuck off, Kari," Victoria shouts back, flipping Chloe the middle finger without even looking back at her.

"It's Chloe," Chloe angrily mutters under breath, turning her attention back to the bar and grabbing Rachel's drink for her.

Pushing her way through the sea of sweaty bodies, Chloe finds her way to Rachel with her drink in hand.

"Here," Chloe says, thrusting the red cup in Rachel's direction.

"Thanks, Price. You're hella awesome," Rachel says, taking the cup off Chloe and using her free hand to take hold of Chloe's, "come dance with us a bit."

"No, I need a cigarette," Chloe replies, shrugging and letting go of Rachel's hand, "I think I left them in my truck."

"Okay, well, don't be too long," Rachel smiles, turning her attention to Dana again.

Chloe quickly spins around in the direction of the exit, only to crash into someone that was stood behind her.

"What the FUCK?!" Victoria shrieks, looking down at her beer drenched outfit.

Chloe laughs, causing Victoria to snap her head up and look in her direction.

"You again?!" Victoria spits, her mouth hanging open in annoyance as she shoots Chloe one of her worst death stares.

"Karma's a bitch and so are you," Chloe says, her mischievous grin making another appearance.

"Fucking Kari Price," Victoria mutters angrily, walking away and towards the bathrooms.

Chloe laughs again, not bothering to correct her this time and continues making her way towards the exit.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Fresh air smacks Chloe in the face as she exits into the parking lot, causing her to feel the effect of all those beers. She stops and props herself against the bricks for a brief moment, giving herself time to acclimate to the change in environment.

Confident again, she starts making her way towards her battered up, old truck. Sticking her hand inside her pocket, she quickly feels the cold, metallic feel of keys and pulls them out, unlocking the driver's side door.

Leaving the door open, Chloe sits in the driver's seat, leaving one leg out, whilst leaning over to her glove box and retrieving a packet of cigarettes. It's dead in the parking lot, with only one or two other cars around. Chloe can hear the faint sound of music blasting from within Blackwell's gymnasium and pulls a disgusted look. She sticks the key into the ignition in and turns on the engine before fumbling around for one of her CDs. Finding one, she quickly puts it in to play and sits back, finally lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag.

Nodding her head along to the punk/rock music with her cigarette in hand, Chloe looks down at the leg she still has out of the truck and notices one of her red Vans is wet and covered in something.

"Fucking great," Chloe mutters, realising that that's spilled beer from the previous incident with the tall blonde.

Chloe shakes her foot around and sighs, knowing that's going to do fuck all. She leans back in her seat and closes her eyes, taking another drag from her cigarette. The CD continues playing, with the first song coming to an end, it changes tracks. With her eyes still closed, she reaches out with her hand and fumbles around for the volume button before finding it and turning it up.

Settling back into her seat, Chloe lets her mind wander back to Rachel and the way she looked on the dance floor. Thoughts of her ass and the fine curve of her breasts and hips make Chloe squirm a little in her seat, feeling her excitement between her legs, slowly drenching her boxers. Chloe sighs in frustration, her mind turning to the agreement her and Rachel made. After their break up, they'd slept together still for a while, before Rachel said they had to stop and focus on their friendship instead. Chloe had reluctantly agreed and had been left feeling sexually frustrated ever since. That was three weeks ago.

"What is this shit you're listening to?" Chloe suddenly hears someone say, snapping her back into reality and causing her to open her eyes.

Chloe is greeted with the sight of a still soaking, tall blonde, leaning against her open driver's side door, one hand on her hip and an unimpressed look on her face.

"Did you just call blink-182 shit?" Chloe asks, raising her eyebrows at Victoria.

"Ugh," Victoria scoffs, rolling her eyes and glancing back in the direction of the gymnasium.

"So, you following me now? Or have you come to get some sort of payback for before?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Kari," Victoria snaps, looking back down at the blue haired mess before her.

"You know my name's Chloe, right?" Chloe smiles her big shit-eating grin.

"Whatthefuckever," Victoria says, looking Chloe up and down.

"Charming," Chloe says sarcastically."Now... Why are you here again?"

"Thanks to some beeatch, my clothes are ruined and I happen to keep some spare in my car," Victoria replies, folding her arms across her chest again, before glancing in the direction of one of the other few cars in the lot.

Chloe isn't sure what to make of this situation and leans forward to get a better look at the girl in front of her. She knows her and has seen her around. They were even in the same classes when Chloe was at Blackwell. Chloe's eyes focus on Victoria's clothes and she quickly notices her shirt has gone almost see-through, revealing a lacy bra underneath it. This causes Chloe to smile a sly smile to herself.

"What the fuck are you smiling at?" Victoria asks, after noticing Chloe looking her over.

"Your name's Victoria, right?" Chloe asks, changing the subject.

"Don't act like you didn't already know," Victoria smirks.

"You're a real stuck up bitch, I know that much," Chloe laughs, before lighting another cigarette and taking a drag.

"Ugh, you're disgusting," Victoria scoffs, turning away and making her way to her car.

Chloe sits back in her seat again and watches her unlock the boot to her car, before opening it and rifling through it. Victoria Chase, Chloe recalls, 'Blackwell's Queen Bitch' and one of Rachel's rivals. Chloe thinks back and remembers coming face to face with Victoria some years back when she had first met Rachel and before she'd gotten expelled. Victoria hasn't changed much since, but Chloe suddenly finds herself checking her out and wondering why she finds her hot."I mean, she's a huge bitch," Chloe thinks to herself.

Chloe shrugs, taking another drag from her cigarette. Victoria has pulled out a shirt from her boot and is proceeding to unbutton the soaked one she has on. Victoria turns and notices Chloe watching her from her truck. She says nothing and continues unbuttoning her shirt, staring directly at Chloe whilst she does so, a smirk on her face. With the last button undone, Victoria pulls her shirt off and throws it into the boot. Chloe scoffs in response, before looking down at her radio and changing tracks, trying hard to stop her thoughts from turning dirty.

A couple of minutes pass before Chloe hears a tap on the window. She turns to see Victoria stood at the passenger side, her arms crossed over her new and revealing shirt.

Chloe sighs and mimes a "What?" at Victoria.

Victoria rolls her eyes and motions for Chloe to unlock the door.

Chloe sighs and shuffles over to the passenger side, unlocking the door, before shuffling back to her seat and taking another drag from her almost finished cigarette.

"Has no one told you not to get into cars with strangers?" Chloe asks, as she watches Victoria get in and close the passenger side door.

"Bite me, Price. I know you've got pot in here somewhere. You always stink of it," Victoria says.

"Ha!", Chloe laughs, "and what makes you think I'm willing to share it with you?"

Victoria turns to face Chloe and looks at her with a look Chloe's never seen her have before. Slightly mischievous but also flirtatious. The sort that leaves you wondering what a person is thinking.

"Glove box," Chloe says, looking away and choosing to ignore Victoria's stare."You owe me, though," she adds, flicking her cigarette out the open door.

"I think this makes up for you ruining my cashmere," Victoria scoffs.

"Whatever. You hella deserved it," Chloe sighs.

"Ugh, you sound just like Rachel."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is," Victoria says, lighting up the joint she found in Chloe's glove box.

"Fuck you," Chloe fires back.

Victoria smiles and takes her first drag, causing her to cough and splutter.

"Fuck, Price, don't you mix this shit with tobacco or something?!"

Chloe smiles her shit-eating grin and looks at Victoria."No, now pass it here, you fucking amateur."

Victoria takes another drag, smaller this time, before passing it over to Chloe, who takes a large drag and leans back in her seat, closing her eyes again.

"Caught you looking at me... Like what you saw?" Victoria asks, looking over Chloe's face and feeling annoyed with herself for liking it.

"I've seen better," Chloe scoffs, "also, don't flatter yourself."

"Whatever," Victoria mumbles.

The quiet and almost disappointed change in Victoria's tone causes Chloe to peek at her from the corner of her one now open eye. She notices Victoria looking down at her hands, trailing anxious circles in her palm. This gets Chloe feeling almost guilty. Almost. Not forgetting what a bitch Victoria is. Sitting forward in her seat, Chloe opens her eyes and looks at Victoria. She takes a drag, before nudging Victoria on her arm. Victoria looks up at her and notices Chloe holding out the joint to her. A peace offering.

"Don't hesitate when you inhale and take a deeper breath this time," Chloe advises Victoria who takes the joint from her hand.

"Whatever," Victoria says, before smiling at Chloe and following her advice.

"Sorry I ruined your cashmere, whatever that is."

"Ha," Victoria laughs, "of course you don't know what cashmere is."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've seen hobos on the street with better fashion sense than you, Price."

"On second thoughts, you should be thanking me," Chloe says calmly.

"What the fuck are you on about?"

"Well you were planning on getting wet tonight," Chloe says, mimicking Victoria's best bitch smile.

"I still plan on it," Victoria shoots back, curiously eyeing the bluenette in front of her.

Chloe doesn't notice and instead snorts, "Good luck with that."

"Do you know how to do blowbacks?" Victoria asks.

"What?" Chloe says, looking at Victoria, the question surprising her slightly.

"Blowbacks... You know where-"

"I know what they are," Chloe cuts her off.

"Show me," Victoria says, holding the joint out for Chloe to take.

Chloe eyes the blonde next to her, wondering for a short while where this is going, before smiling at the realisation.

"Okay," she says, taking the joint off her. Chloe inhales a deep drag and holds it, shuffling closer to Victoria, who's already moved closer without Chloe noticing.

With the smoke still in her mouth, Chloe places her free hand around Victoria's neck and brings her lips close to her own. Their eyes lock in an intense stare, whilst Victoria parts her lips and places them against Chloe's. Holding her gaze with Victoria, Chloe parts her lips slightly, too and slowly blows the smoke into her mouth. The touch of Chloe's lips against her mouth excites Victoria causing her to feel a tingle between her legs. Chloe pulls back, without breaking her gaze into Victoria's eyes and watches her exhale.

"Satisfied?" Chloe asks.

"Not quite," Victoria says.

Before Chloe has a chance to respond, Victoria moves over to her and straddles her lap, before leaning out and pulling the driver's side door closed. She takes the joint from Chloe's hand and flicks it out the window.

"Hey, what the fuck do you think you-" Chloe starts.

"Shut the fuck up, Price," Victoria cuts her off, before taking Chloe's face in her hands and crashing her lips against hers.

Chloe freezes for a second, wondering what the fuck is happening and how she should proceed. Before long though, she finds herself kissing Victoria back, wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her closer against her body.

Noticing Chloe's encouragement, Victoria slides one of her hands up the side of Chloe's face and underneath her beanie, pulling on her hair. Chloe's breathing quickens at this and she parts Victoria's lips with her own, pushing her tongue into her mouth. Victoria pulls harder on Chloe's hair and tightens her straddled legs around Chloe's lap, slowly rocking against her.

Victoria feels something hard in Chloe's pocket prodding against her thigh, but she chooses to ignore it when she feels Chloe's hand slowly working its way up her shirt. She scratches Victoria's back, causing her to moan against her lips.

Hearing Victoria moan excites Chloe even more and she scratches her back harder, before hooking one hand under the strap of her bra and dragging it along her skin to the front of her body. Squeezing Victoria's breast, Chloe feels her nipple harden in her hand, so she pinches it with her thumb and forefinger and pulls it gently.

"Harder," Victoria moans against Chloe's lips, before kissing Chloe harder.

Feeling Victoria's hot breath against her lips with every moan spurs Chloe on further. She moves her hand still on Victoria's back up to her hair and pulls down on it. Hard. Victoria angles her head back in response, breaking their kiss and erupting another moan louder than before from her mouth. Chloe takes this opportunity to place rough kisses against Victoria's neck. Kisses then turn into bites, causing Victoria to pull on Chloe's hair with both hands, messing it up and knocking her beanie off in the process.

Chloe stops biting Victoria's neck and pulls away to look at her, removing her hands from under her shirt.

"Why stop?!" Victoria asks in a ragged breath, staring intensely down into Chloe's eyes, who stares just as intensely back.

Chloe doesn't say anything, instead picking Victoria up off her lap, and throwing her down onto her back on the seat of her truck. Victoria smiles and spreads her legs apart slightly as Chloe positions herself on top of her.

Placing her hands to the sides of Victoria's head to prop herself up, Chloe leans in and kisses her hard, slowly thrusting her hips even harder against her. Victoria feels whatever is in Chloe's pocket prodding her again, only this time she can feel it against her pussy. She moans again, feeling herself getting wetter with whatever is thrusting and grinding against her.

Chloe stops kissing Victoria and begins unbuttoning the shirt she only recently put on. Victoria pulls Chloe's jacket off and throws it somewhere behind them. Chloe comes to the last button on Victoria's shirt and struggles to undo it.

"Fuck it," Chloe says, ripping the button off.

"What the fuck, Price, that's-" Victoria starts.

"Shut up, Chase," Chloe snaps, kissing Victoria hard and pushing her lips apart, sticking her tongue inside her mouth to silence her.

Victoria still pissed with Chloe over ripping her shirt, bites Chloe's bottom lip hard, causing her to taste blood. Chloe moans loud in response and moves her head down to bite Victoria's collarbone, leaving small traces of her blood on her. Chloe kisses her way down Victoria's chest, stopping in between her breasts where she notices the bra clasp is on the front. She moves one of her hands to the clasp and undoes it in one quick motion, pulling the bra away to reveal her perky and full breasts. Placing her hand back to the side of Victoria's head for support, Chloe carries on thrusting against her, her pace picking up in speed. She kisses Victoria on her lips again, before sticking her tongue out and slowly trailing it down Victoria's chin, neck and chest. Victoria guides Chloe's head further down and to the side, feeling Chloe's tongue on her nipple makes her moan, her breathing growing ragged again.

After sucking and biting Victoria's nipple, Chloe continues kissing and licking her way down her body, pausing at the top of her skirt. Victoria, worrying about Chloe ripping anything else, reaches down and unzips her skirt, lifting her back slightly for Chloe to pull it down with more ease. With her skirt removed, Chloe pushes herself up and stares down at Victoria, taking in the sight of her body.

"You're a little too dressed, Price," Victoria says, looking up at Chloe whilst nudging her with the side of her leg.

"Right," Chloe responds, taking her tank top off, before undoing her bra and letting it slide off and fall to the floor.

"Nice piercing," Victoria smiles, reaching up to circle her finger around Chloe's left nipple.

Chloe smiles a cheeky smile at Victoria, lowering herself back down to continue where she left off. Victoria lies back and closes her eyes once she feels Chloe's breath nearing her pussy, which is so wet by this point, it's dripping down onto her thighs. Chloe notices this and uses her tongue to lick Victoria's thighs clean, getting a small taste of what's to come.

Chloe licks her way up from the inside of Victoria's thighs and onto her pussy, planting a hard kiss on it through the thin material of her lacy panties. At this, Victoria breathes out a loud moan and tightens her legs around Chloe's head, placing her hands in her hair and tugging it.

Smiling to herself, Chloe hooks a finger in Victoria's panties and pulls them to the side, before placing her mouth against her soaking pussy.

"Jesus, Victoria," Chloe says.

"Shut the fuck up and fuck me already," Victoria moans, pushing Chloe's head back down between her legs, rocking her hips against Chloe's mouth whilst doing so.

Chloe follows her instructions and starts sucking hard on Victoria's clit, nibbling it ever so slightly with her teeth. Victoria can feel her legs start to tremble and shake, making her bite down on her lip and cover her face with the inside of her elbow. Without warning, she feels Chloe's fingers enter inside her whilst her tongue keeps working her clit. Victoria audibly gasps and hears Chloe let out a small laugh from in between her legs. She tightens her legs even more around Chloe's head, as her way of letting her know to stop laughing and keep going. Chloe picks up speed and adds a third finger, stretching Victoria out even more. She hooks her fingers upwards, hitting Victoria's sweet spot with every pump.

"Fuck," Victoria moans, "harder... faster..."

Chloe obliges her requests and picks up speed even more, her fingers pumping in and out of Victoria with more intensity.

"Fuck, yes... I'm gonna come," Victoria says breathily, struggling to get the words out.

Hearing Victoria say that, Chloe suddenly stops, removing her fingers and tongue, before sitting up and leaning back into her seat. Victoria snaps her eyes open and props herself up quickly on her elbows to look at the sweaty, blue haired mess.

"Er, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Relax, we're not done yet," Chloe retorts, reaching over for her cigarettes.

"Are you fucking serious, Price? I was about to come and you stop to smoke a cancer stick before I can?"

Chloe ignores Victoria's words and angry stare, lighting her cigarette and taking a drag. Using her free hand, she undoes the belt on her jeans and unzips them.

"I want you to straddle me again," Chloe commands, moving Victoria's legs to the side so she can sit down again.

Victoria stares at the bluenette, contemplating whether or not to tell her to go fuck herself. Curiosity gets the better of her, though, and she lifts herself up off the seat, moving over to Chloe. Throwing one of her legs over Chloe's lap, Victoria straddles her and looks her in the eyes.

Holding Victoria's stare, Chloe takes another drag of her cigarette and uses her free hand to reach down into her jeans. Victoria looks down, wondering where this is going, when she sees Chloe's hand pull out a blue dildo. Victoria smirks and looks back up at Chloe's face.

"I was wondering what that was in your pants," Victoria laughs, "God, I should have known, you're such a dyke, Price."

"Do you want it or not?" Chloe asks, taking another drag from her cigarette before blowing the smoke in Victoria's face.

Victoria smiles a mischievous smile and reaches for Chloe's hand, taking the cigarette off her. She brings it to her lips and takes a long drag then flicks it out the window as she exhales.

Turning her attention back to Chloe, she moves her lips close to hers before stopping just short of them.

"Fuck me," Victoria says, before licking Chloe's lips and crashing her own against them.

Chloe kisses her back, letting her tongue clash against Victoria's and pulls her in tighter, hardening their kiss. Using her free hand, she fumbles around for her jacket. Feeling its material, she reaches inside one of the pockets and pulls out a small, square packet. Breaking away from Victoria, she lifts the packet to her mouth and rips it open.

"A condom? Are you serious?" Victoria snorts.

"Yeah. It saves me having to wash it once we're done," Chloe laughs, removing the condom from its wrapper.

"You're disgusting," Victoria says.

"You try finding a way to discreetly wash a strap in a public restroom," Chloe fires back, rolling the condom down over the dildo between her legs.

"Touche."

Chloe looks up at Victoria and smiles her shit-eating grin, before leaning in and kissing her again. Placing her hands under Victoria's ass, Chloe lifts her slightly, encouraging her to make the next move.

Victoria pulls away from Chloe's mouth and lifts her hand up to it instead."Spit," she commands.

Chloe does as she's told and watches Victoria lower her hand down to her panties where she slips it under them and rubs Chloe's spit over her pussy. Pulling the material of her panties to the side, Victoria prompts Chloe to enter her.

"Fuck," Chloe sighs, feeling herself getting wetter.

Removing one hand from Victoria's ass, Chloe grabs hold of the dildo and guides it to the right spot. She watches as Victoria slowly slides down onto it, letting out a moan as she takes it all inside her.

Sitting back in her seat again, Chloe watches as Victoria starts rocking her hips up and down against her, sometimes altering her movements so she's rocking and grinding from side to side. Glancing down, Chloe stares mesmerised as Victoria's pussy slides up and down, the dildo starting to almost glisten with her wetness.

Victoria picks up speed and starts bouncing in Chloe's lap, her moans turning into small screams of pleasure. She leans forward and kisses Chloe's neck, before biting down on her shoulder, trying her hardest to stay as quiet as possible. Chloe runs her hands up Victoria's back, scratching it as she does whilst kissing her neck and stopping to smile as she feels Victoria bite down harder.

Pulling her in tighter, Chloe can feel her skin sliding against Victoria with every movement, the sweat from their bodies acting as a lubricant. With Victoria's chest pressed against her own, Chloe can feel her nipples hardening, causing the one with the piercing to send shivers down her spine. Chloe moves her lips to Victoria's ear and lets out a breathy moan.

"Come for me," Chloe whispers, letting out another moan in Victoria's ear.

Victoria pulls back from Chloe's shoulder and looks her in the eyes, before planting rough kisses on her lips and tightening her grip on her hair. Chloe closes her eyes, returning the kisses and lets her mind wander back to Rachel on the dance floor as Victoria's moans get louder and more frequent against her lips.

A few minutes pass before Chloe suddenly feels Victoria start to climax on top of her, a loud scream erupting from her mouth. Chloe quickly raises one hand to Victoria's mouth and clasps it, trying to muffle her scream. She feels Victoria bite her palm and buck a few times in spasm on top of her, before coming to a stop. Chloe drops her hand to her side and opens her eyes to see Victoria staring at her.

"Fuck, Price," Victoria says, her breath ragged.

"You're welcome," Chloe smiles, lifting Victoria off of her lap and throwing her down onto the seat next to her.

"Charming," Victoria scoffs, watching Chloe pull the condom off her strap.

"I'm always charming," Chloe laughs, flinging the condom at Victoria's face.

Victoria gasps in disgust before picking the condom up with the tips of her thumb and forefinger and launching it out the open window.

"Fuck you," Victoria snaps whilst picking up her clothes and starting to dress.

"You just did", Chloe laughs again whilst fumbling to do up the button and belt on her jeans.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?"

"Yup," Chloe replies, before clasping her bra and throwing on her top.

"Explains why you got expelled from here," Victoria says sarcastically, buttoning what is now the last button on her shirt before checking herself in the passenger mirror.

"Ha", Chloe snorts, "what do you know?"

Chloe is greeted with silence in response and looks over to see Victoria is busy reapplying makeup in the mirror. Chloe shakes her head in disbelief and reaches for her cigarettes. She stops mid-reach when she feels something wet against the skin of her thigh.

"What the fuck, Victoria?!" Chloe gasps.

"What?!" Victoria snaps her head around to see Chloe staring down at her lap.

"My jeans are hella drenched because of you. It looks like I've fucking pissed myself," Chloe says, angrily throwing her head back to stare at Victoria.

Victoria stares back at her silently for a brief moment before looking down at the wet patch on Chloe's jeans and erupting with evil laughter.

"You think this is funny?" Chloe asks, fanning her crotch with her hand.

"It's payback. You ruined my cashmere, remember?"

"Huh," Chloe sighs, giving up and retrieving a cigarette, "I guess I was right."

"About?"

"Karma is a bitch and so are you," Chloe says, placing the cigarette between her lips.

"Mmm, I guess so," Victoria smirks, leaning over and taking the cigarette from Chloe's mouth.

Chloe stares at her in disbelief once again which makes Victoria smile her best bitch smile and plant a quick and rough final kiss on Chloe's lips.

"Tell anyone about what just happened and you're dead, Kari," Victoria warns Chloe as she pulls back and reaches for the passenger side door.

"It's Chloe," Chloe mutters once more under her breath, watching as Victoria strolls back towards the gymnasium with Chloe's unlit cigarette still in her hand.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Chloe, wake the fuck up!"

Chloe groans audibly as she rolls over, peeking one eye open before snapping it shut again. The light in the room is bright and unfriendly towards her hungover state, burning her corneas.

"Chloe, I have to get to class and you have to take a shower. You smell like you've bathed in beer and pot for twelve hours."

Chloe hears a familiar and sweet laugh, one she fell in love with and hasn't stopped loving since.

"I know you can hear me, don't pretend, Price."

"Rach, why the fuck is it so hella bright in here?" Chloe mumbles, rolling over some more and falling off the couch, causing her to groan in pain even louder.

"You're a hot mess, Price," Rachel laughs, throwing Chloe's jacket at her whilst she does.

Chloe feels the material of her jacket land on her but she doesn't move from her foetal position on the floor of Rachel's dorm room. Noticing this, Rachel moves over to Chloe and starts nudging her with her foot, rocking Chloe's body from side to side.

"Your foot is on my ass, Amber," Chloe mumbles.

"I know," Rachel laughs again, "now get the fuck up or you're going to make me late for class."

"Whose wise idea was it to have a party on a Thursday?" Chloe asks, emerging from under her jacket and sitting up, shielding her eyes from most of the sunlight.

"Vortex Club logic," Rachel says, moving over to her desk where she retrieves a glass of water and some painkillers.

"Ugh," Chloe scoffs, slowly lifting herself back onto the couch.

"You look like shit," Rachel smiles, handing Chloe the glass and painkillers.

"Oh yeah, how shit?" Chloe smiles back, taking a swig of water.

"Hella shit," Rachel snorts, walking over to her bedside table and picking up her phone.

"I feel it," Chloe mutters under breath, before throwing back a couple of painkillers.

Rachel smiles again before looking up from her phone. "Class starts in ten minutes so I really have to go, Chloe."

Chloe sighs and uses what little strength she has to stand and put her jacket on, her eyes slowly starting to adjust to the light much to her heads disagreement. Walking over to Rachel, she rifles through her pocket, looking for her cigarettes. Finding her now almost empty packet, she takes one and places it between her lips, winking at Rachel as she does.

"I'm good to go, sweet," Chloe says, the cigarette moving in her mouth with every word.

Rachel laughs and shakes her head in disbelief at the blue haired mess in front of her, opening the door and gesturing for Chloe to go first with a wink. Chloe smiles her shit-eating grin, puffing out her chest whilst walking past Rachel and out the open door.

"You were hella wasted yesterday, Price." Rachel says, kicking a stone as she strolls by Chloe towards Blackwell, "Do you even remember last night?"

Chloe lights her cigarette, taking a drag and forcing her brain to recall events of the previous night. Images of Victoria in her truck flash through her mind, causing her to choke on her cigarette smoke and cough.

"That bad?" Rachel snorts.

"No. I remember some things," Chloe responds, clearing her throat and taking another drag.

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"I remember you looking good on the dance floor," Chloe chuckles, tossing a quick side glance at Rachel.

"Perv," Rachel says, feigning shock before nudging Chloe with her shoulder and laughing. "You know your lip is bruised and bloody, right?"

Chloe blushes, lifting the fingers of her free hand to feel the sore lip she'd forgotten about.

"Oh," Chloe laughs, awkwardly, avoiding Rachel's stare, "that's something I don't remember."

Rachel crosses her arms across her chest and laughs, nudging Chloe again with a flirtatious smile on her face. Chloe smiles, but stays silent, choosing to avoid any further discussion on that topic.

Chloe and Rachel continue their walk to Blackwell's main entrance, the building now within sight. Chloe listens to the faint sounds of students talking and laughing in the distance, whilst birds fly overhead and a faint breeze washes over her face, sobering her up.

"Text me later," Rachel says, snapping Chloe back to reality and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Sure thing," Chloe smiles, watching as Rachel walks up Blackwell's steps.

In the parking lot, Chloe catches a glimpse of a tall blonde talking to Nathan Prescott by her flashy and expensive car. She smiles a sly smile to herself, recalling even more from the previous night. The recollection of spoiling not one, but two, of Victoria's shirts makes Chloe laugh out loud as she unlocks the door to her truck, happy with herself.

Victoria's gaze turns its attention to a blue haired and hungover mess sitting in a battered up old truck. She smirks and crosses her arms over her chest, remembering the previous night and how she spent it getting fucked in that same spot, by that same mess. Nathan notices her looking elsewhere and follows her gaze, pulling a disgusted look when he realises it's Chloe Price.

"God, I hate that bitch," Nathan snipes.

"Samsies," Victoria snorts, turning her attention back to Nathan, "but she's a good fuck."

"Ugh, you're disgusting," Nathan scoffs, pushing Victoria on the shoulder.

"Bite me, Nate," Victoria evilly laughs, unlocking her car door. "Now get in and let's go, we're meeting the others, remember?"

Chloe sits back and takes a final drag from her cigarette before flicking it out the window, watching as Victoria speeds past in her car and exits the lot.

"Oh, these are bad for the squirrels."

The sudden sound of a raspy and low voice from nearby makes Chloe jump in her seat. She turns to look out of her window, only to see Samuel, Blackwell's creepy janitor. He's staring down at the ground, shaking his head at a discarded condom, a broom in hand ready to sweep it up. Chloe smiles to herself and Samuel catches her as he looks up at her.

"Samuel has to clean many of these, yes he does."

"I bet," Chloe says, looking away and down at her hands, feeling slightly guilty.

"Good job Samuel likes cleaning," Samuel says, smiling.

Chloe looks at him and smiles a sincere smile, before starting the engine. "Have a nice day, Samuel," Chloe says, putting the truck in gear.

"Samuel hopes to have as good a day as Chloe Price had a night," Samuel says, staring at Chloe with a knowing look.

Samuel's statement makes Chloe stall her truck, a flushed and guilty look appearing on her face. She laughs awkwardly before re-starting the engine.

"Ha, right..." she says, giving Samuel a nod as she pulls away.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Removing her jacket and tossing it to the floor, Chloe throws herself down face first onto her bed. She sighs and thinks back to the previous night again. Had Samuel seen her and Victoria? If so, had anyone else seen them? They hadn't exactly been as discreet as they could have been.

"What are you doing, Chloe?" Chloe mumbles to herself against the bed sheets.

Rolling over, Chloe reaches for her ashtray by the bed and sparks up the joint lying next to it. Taking a long and slow drag, Chloe stares up at her ceiling, questioning her decisions in life.

After a few more drags, Chloe stops caring, instead choosing to enjoy the feeling from her morning wake 'n' bake. Reaching down beside her, she grabs the stereo remote and presses play. Red Hot Chili Peppers fills the room, putting a smile on Chloe's face and making her play air guitar.

"Shit! Ow!" Chloe winces, quickly putting out hot ash with her hand that fell from the lit joint onto her chest. "That's enough of that for now," she says to herself, placing the joint back in the ashtray.

Standing up, Chloe wanders over to door and heads downstairs in search of food. She's greeted by the sight of David as she enters the kitchen. Ignoring his judgemental stare, Chloe opens the fridge and peers inside. It's almost empty, save for some milk and eggs.

"Your mother wanted me to tell you that she hasn't done the grocery shopping yet and that if you're hungry, go to the diner and she'll feed you," David says from somewhere behind Chloe, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Shouldn't you be working?" Chloe asks, slamming the fridge door shut, before turning to look at David.

"I'm leaving now actually," David retorts.

"Don't let the door hit your moustache on the way out," Chloe smirks, mimicking David's stance by crossing her own arms over her chest.

"You stink, Chloe. Take a shower, for Christ's sake," David snaps.

"I'll take a shower when you shave that seventies pornstache off your face," Chloe laughs, flipping David the middle finger.

David grunts and shoots Chloe an unimpressed look before walking past her. She hears the front door open and close. Chloe smiles and makes her way back upstairs where she enters the bathroom. Grabbing her pirate towel, the sight of her reflection in the corner of her eye catches her attention. Turning to look in the mirror, Chloe gasps at the sight of herself. Mainly her bottom lip, a bruised and swollen mess which complements the rest of her appearance.

"Shit," Chloe mutters as she starts to undress in front of the mirror.

The sight of her naked body makes Chloe grimace. Victoria had left her covered in bite marks, scratches and bruises. She traces them with her fingertips, images of how they got there flashing through her mind again.

"Damn," Chloe laughs, shaking her head in disbelief at herself and Victoria.

Chloe steps into the shower and feels the heat and water wash over her, cleaning the filth of last night's events from her body and mind, sending them down the drain where she hopes they'll remain. Forgotten.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Well, will you look who it is! My daughter has come in search of food," Joyce feigns astonishment, pulling Chloe into a hug as she walks through the door to the Two Whales diner.

"Ugh," Chloe grunts, accepting Joyce's hug briefly before pulling away and looking at her, "I'm starving."

"And hungover, no doubt," Joyce laughs, "sit down and I'll bring you something."

"Thanks, Mom," Chloe smiles, strolling over to her booth by the window at the far side of the diner.

Throwing herself down in her seat, Chloe sighs and leans her head in her hands. With the combination of painkillers, pot and, soon, food, she prays the hangover will fade completely. With her head still in her hands, she hears a shriek of laughter that makes her wince and clutch her head tighter. Suddenly angry at whoever it is laughing like that, she glances up and looks around the diner. In the opposite far side of the diner, she spots Victoria, Nathan and a few others sat huddled around in a booth. Victoria is the one laughing.

"Fucking great," she mutters angrily to herself, "this bitch again."

Chloe slumps lower down in her seat and hopes Victoria and her cronies won't spot her. Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out her phone and decides to text Rachel.

Chloe: Hey, just at 2 whales now. How's class?

"Put your phone away and eat," Joyce commands, snapping Chloe's attention away from her phone whilst placing a plate of food and coffee down in front of her.

"Thanks," Chloe mumbles, setting her phone down before quickly tucking in to her eggs and bacon.

"Anyone would think I don't feed you the way you eat, Chloe," Joyce says, staring down at her daughter with one hand on her hip.

Chloe pauses with a mouth full of food and looks up at Joyce. Noticing her expression, she raises her eyebrows playfully and winks at her mother before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Charming," Joyce snorts, shaking her head whilst doing so.

"So I've been told," Chloe responds with her mouth still full.

Joyce laughs and strokes the top of Chloe's head. "It's pretty quiet now so I'm going to take the opportunity to do some inventory in the back."

Chloe grunts in acknowledgement and continues to eat as Joyce walks into the back of the diner. Swallowing her last mouthful of food, Chloe pushes her plate and its leftovers to the side, pulling her coffee closer to her instead. Her phone sounds, alerting her to a new text.

Rachel: Eat anything good? Class is boring, but at least Victoria isn't here.

Chloe smiles as she reads Rachel's text before writing out her reply.

Chloe: Eggs and bacon. Victoria is here... Making my hangover worse.

Rachel: Lol. Why am I not surprised? I'll talk to you later, k?

Chloe: K.

Chloe pockets her phone and takes another sip of her coffee, glancing out the window at the lighthouse in the distance. Her thoughts turn to Max and how they'd spend a lot of their time together there, running around and pretending to be pirates. She smiles a sad smile and looks away, choosing to stare down into her coffee instead.

At the opposite end of the diner, Victoria sits with her fellow Vortex Club members and laughs at something Nathan said. Chloe is still sat staring into her coffee cup and hasn't noticed that they're all standing up and getting ready to leave. On her way to the exit, Victoria stops in her tracks when she sees Chloe sat on her own in the booth at the far side, looking thoughtful and mysterious.

"Hey, uh, catch a ride with Courtney," Victoria says, pulling Nathan to the side before he can walk out.

Nathan once again follows Victoria's gaze and snorts when he sees it's on Chloe Price.

"Whatthefuckever," he says, "I'll see you later."

Nathan exits the diner and follows the others to the parking lot whilst Victoria strolls over to the blue haired mess she has in her sights. The diner is now empty, save for themselves. Chloe is still so lost in her thoughts, she doesn't look up from her coffee as Victoria stops to stand next to her. Looking down at her, Victoria wonders what's going through the bluenette's mind. She shrugs and slides in next to Chloe, causing her to jump and spill some of her coffee on her hands.

"Hey," Victoria says, smiling her bitch smile at Chloe whilst leaning in close to her.

"You made me spill my coffee," Chloe snaps, waving her hand in front of Victoria's face.

"Oopsie," Victoria grins, batting her eyes at Chloe, "let me get that for you."

Victoria grabs hold of Chloe's hand, before bringing it up to her mouth and licking it. Chloe sits and stares at her with her eyebrows raised as Victoria takes one of the fingers from her hand and sucks on it, looking Chloe dead in the eyes whilst she does.

"Thanks," Chloe says, pulling her finger out of Victoria's mouth, "now I have to bleach my hand."

"You're welcome, bitch," Victoria snorts, picking up Chloe's coffee and taking a sip.

"Not that your presence doesn't fill me with enthusiasm and joy," Chloe says sarcastically in an unenthused tone, "but what the fuck do you want, Chase?"

"Nothing you haven't given me before," Victoria replies.

"What the fuck are you-", Chloe starts, but cuts herself off as she feels one of Victoria's hands place itself on her knee.

Victoria inches herself closer to Chloe, turning her body to face her in the booth and using her left hand that's propped on the back of the booth to lean her head on. She locks eyes with Chloe, who's sat with a serious look on her face that fails to intimidate Victoria, exciting her instead and causing her to feel that familiar tingle between her legs.

"I never got your number, Kari," Victoria says, slowly sliding her right hand up Chloe's leg.

"That's because I never gave it to you," Chloe says, her voice unwavering despite Victoria's hand creeping closer to her crotch.

"Now's the time to change that," Victoria says, intensifying her stare into Chloe's eyes whilst adding pressure to her thigh and giving it a small squeeze.

"No," Chloe snorts, breaking her stare from Victoria and taking a sip from her coffee.

"Why not?" Victoria asks, moving her hand to the inside of Chloe's thigh.

"Because you're a total, stuck up bitch and I hate you," Chloe responds, a deadpan look on her face.

"The feeling's mutual," Victoria quips, sliding her hand all the way up Chloe's inner thigh, letting it rest right in between her legs.

Chloe stays silent and continues to ignore Victoria's stare, though she can feel it burning into the side of her face. The feel of Victoria's hand in between her legs excites her though, the fresh boxers she only recently put on starting to slowly dampen. Victoria edges her face closer so her mouth is only an inch away from Chloe's neck.

"That's what makes it hot," Victoria whispers in Chloe's ear, pushing her hand hard against Chloe's centre.

Chloe lets out a small moan before shaking her head in disbelief at herself and the situation.

"Give me your number and I'll make it worth your while," Victoria whispers again, before sliding her hand up to the waistband of Chloe's jeans and hooking a finger inside it, tugging it slightly.

The sensation of Victoria's breath on her ear turns Chloe on and she sits there silently, cursing herself for finding the situation and Victoria arousing. She doesn't know what to think or say, but she does know she doesn't want Victoria to stop whatever it is she's doing or about to do. Chloe decides to sit silently and see where things go, hoping her silence pisses Victoria off or encourages her further. Both outcomes being pleasing ones to Chloe.

Victoria pouts to herself, but quickly catches a small smirk cross Chloe's lips. She knows Chloe is using some sort of tactic and Victoria isn't going to give her the satisfaction of winning. In one quick motion, Victoria undoes Chloe's button on her jeans and slowly slides her hand down them, letting the tips of her fingers settle on Chloe's clit. Chloe takes a deep breath at the feel of Victoria on her and shuts her eyes, the feeling causing a throb sensation in her clit that makes her slightly squirm in her seat.

"I've only just put my hand down there and you're already wet," Victoria whispers. "You find me hot, don't you, Kari?"

Chloe shoots Victoria an angry and serious look for calling her Kari again, but she remains silent and turns to look away again.

"Fine," Victoria says, slowly starting to remove her hand from Chloe's pants.

"It's Chloe!", Chloe erupts, grabbing hold of Victoria's hand and pushing it back down into her pants.

Victoria laughs and kisses Chloe's neck, whilst slowly sliding one finger inside her. Chloe moans quietly and closes her eyes again, shaking her head as she does. Victoria moves up Chloe's neck to her ear with her tongue before biting her ear lobe.

"How about those digits, Price?" Victoria whispers, licking Chloe's ear as she does and sliding a second finger inside.

Chloe knows she's lost this battle. Victoria has played her best cards and has Chloe wanting more. Chloe sighs before turning her head to look Victoria in the eyes. She drops her gaze to Victoria's lips and leans in, kissing her roughly. Victoria kisses her back, pushing her tongue inside Chloe's mouth. Chloe stops and pulls away slightly to look Victoria in the eyes again with an intense stare.

"What?" Victoria asks.

Chloe stays silent once more before leaning in and biting down hard on Victoria's bottom lip, causing it to draw blood. Victoria moans and pulls away, bringing her free hand to her lips. She slides her fingertips across her lip and looks at them, seeing the blood, she looks up at Chloe and smiles an impressed smile.

"Now we're even," Victoria laughs, "if your lip didn't look the way it does right now, I'd have slapped you for that."

Chloe mimics Victoria's best bitch smile at her. Victoria snorts and removes her hand from Chloe's pants.

"I never eat dessert, especially after breakfast, but I'll make an exception this one time," Victoria smiles smugly, placing her now glistening fingers inside her mouth and sucking them clean as Chloe watches her, mesmerised.

"You're a filthy bitch, you know that?" Chloe finally says, once Victoria stops licking her fingers and takes another sip from Chloe's coffee.

"You don't know anything, yet, Price," Victoria says.

Chloe laughs, still shaking her head in disbelief. Grabbing a napkin from the edge of the table and her trusty sharpie pen from her pocket, she quickly jots down her phone number on it and slides it over to Victoria. Victoria eyes the napkin before picking it up and placing it in her bag. Standing up, she winks at Chloe and starts to walk away.

"Text you later, Kari," Victoria says, not looking back at Chloe as she does.

"Fucking bitch," Chloe mutters. "Fucking hot, bitch," she adds, staring at Victoria's ass as she walks away and exits the diner.

Chloe laughs to herself as she does up her jeans and takes a final sip from her coffee, the mug now covered with Victoria's lipstick stains.

"Did I miss anyone coming into the diner?" Chloe suddenly hears someone ask from behind the counter.

"No, Mom," Chloe replies, standing up to leave. "Thanks for the breakfast, it was hella awesome."

"No problem, darling," Joyce says, coming around from behind the counter to hug her daughter.

Chloe accepts her hug, hugging her back this time.

"I'll see you later, Mom," Chloe mumbles, before turning to leave the diner.

Back in her truck, Chloe grabs her cigarettes and lights one up before taking a drag. Her thoughts wander and replay what just happened in the diner again.

"What are you doing, Chloe?" she asks herself, laughing. "Let's see how this plays out, ay?"

. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Victoria is lying back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. It's a Friday night and she's bored and eager to get up to something. She picks up her phone lying next to her and stares at it. It's seven in the evening and she hasn't got any plans. Scrolling through her contacts, she finds Nathan's number.

Victoria: Hey, anything going on tonight?

Nathan: im busy

Victoria: With what?

Nathan: something

Victoria: Like...?

Nathan: something ok? I cant talk now, message someone else

Victoria: Whatthefuckever, bitch

Nathan had been acting strangely for some months now and it was starting to concern Victoria. He always acted suspiciously and she could tell he was keeping something from her. Which is weird because they're such close friends and they often talk about things they don't talk to anyone else about. Victoria had tried questioning him about it but he had accused her of 'tripping balls' and laughed it off.

Her mind wanders to her other friends and Victoria decides to look into their evening plans, too, before calling it quits and working on her school work.

Victoria: You busy tonight?

Courtney: yeh, I'm out with some friends and Taylor is visiting her mom

Sighing to herself, Victoria stands from her bed and moves over to her desk in search of one of her photography books. Her attention is caught by the sight of an unlit cigarette lying off to the side. It's almost as if it's staring back at her, calling out to her. She smiles and picks it up, twirling it around in between her fingers, thinking about a certain blue haired mess. Chloe is far from Victoria's typical lay. For a start, she knows Chloe is a social outcast with no money and no ambitions. Rachel Amber is her only and closest friend. "Friend" being put mildly. Victoria always saw them together around Blackwell and Arcadia Bay. They were always laughing at something and appearing completely oblivious to anyone else around them, stuck in their own little happy world. That caused a weird sort of envy in Victoria and she didn't know why.

Victoria had been observing them from afar for a while now and it came to a point where her curiosity had sparked. She wanted to know what was so great about this Chloe Price chick. How did a high school dropout with no friends catch the attention of the most popular girl in school? And more importantly, how had she held it for so long? Rachel Amber was smart, rich, ambitious and to Victoria's contempt, drop dead gorgeous.

Despite Rachel and Chloe remaining sewn at the hip, Victoria had noticed that the past few weeks, there was friction between the pair. Not an obvious sort of friction that drew attention from everyone around them, the sort that was subtle and goes unnoticed. Unless you've been observing them for a while...

Victoria had eavesdropped in on a phone call Rachel was taking a few days ago and from what was being said, it became abundantly clear that she was seeing someone else. Someone not Chloe. A man, in fact. In that moment, the friction between them started to make sense. There was trouble in their paradise and Victoria needed this as her way in. Sensing a weakness in the stitches that bound them at the hip. She wanted a taste of Chloe Price. An inside look into her and her life. She wanted to see what Rachel saw and so she set her plan in motion after her confrontation with Chloe last night.

Victoria had always been into girls and had bedded a fair few. But none like Chloe Price. The past girls had been clumsy or inexperienced. Or worse, they'd ended up getting clingy and that put Victoria off. But Chloe Price was none of these things. Chloe was confident and clearly experienced, most likely from her time dating Rachel. After Victoria fucked Chloe in her smelly truck, Chloe wanted nothing more to do with her afterwards and Victoria liked that. It turned her on, even. She knew Chloe would struggle to say no to her though if she prodded her a little. Victoria could sense the sexual frustration in Chloe since their friction began. And now she knew it was due to their friction in bed having come to an end.

Opening her desk drawer, Victoria places the cigarette inside and admires her collection. Old mementos of every lay she's ever had. Something she stole or took with her from that night. Victoria's way of keeping track. Keeping score. Chloe's cigarette was now her new favourite, however.

Closing the drawer, Victoria bends down and picks up her purse. Rifling through it, she finds a now crinkly and creased napkin with a smudged phone number on it. Bingo.

Victoria: Come round tonight.

Chloe: And what if I don't want to?

Victoria: You do, though. Bring your little friend. I noticed you weren't wearing it before.

Chloe: I don't always wear it out in public. Just for parties mainly.

Victoria: Whatever. Just bring it. My room is 221. I expect you here within the hour.

Chloe: What if I'm busy?

Victoria: You're not.

Chloe: Fuck you.

Victoria: That's the whole point of me texting you, dumbass.

Chloe: Hmm. Nah.

Victoria: Kari. My room. One hour.

Chloe: I'm not coming round until you stop calling me Kari, slut.

Victoria: Fine. Chloe! My room. One hour. Don't be late.

Victoria tosses her phone down onto her bed, not bothering to check Chloe's reply and makes her way to the bathroom. She knows she has Chloe in her grasp and knows she will show up. She needs to prepare for what she expects will be an amazing fuck. Just the way she likes it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Strolling down the hallway of Blackwell's girls dormitories, Chloe's mind turns to the situation at hand. Rachel had texted her earlier to say that she was going out with some school friends and was going to be busy all night. Chloe wasn't sure whether to believe her or not. Rachel has been acting off with her lately and she doesn't know why. They were still close and talked about everything, but lately it seems like Rachel's mind wanders elsewhere and she gets lost in thoughts that Chloe isn't allowed in on. That, to Chloe, is odd behaviour for Rachel because there's nothing that they haven't shared with each other. Well, with the exception of a few things. Chloe's motto is that 'everybody lies, no exceptions'. Including herself. She was lying to Rachel now by omitting the truth of her and Victoria's after school activities.

It made Chloe feel shitty, but at the same time, there was a voice in the back of her mind compelling her to continue. Why? She didn't know. Rachel is keeping something from her, too, she knows it. So, a small part of her thinks it's okay to keep something from Rachel in return. Maybe. Who knows. The only thing Chloe knows for certain is that she's horny and bored. And Victoria is willing. Even in her own little fucked up way. Chloe's fucked worse.

Knocking on Victoria's door, Chloe steps back and sticks both hands in her jacket pockets, a serious look on her face.

"Hey, Kari," Victoria smiles her best bitch smile, opening the door to allow Chloe to step into her room.

Chloe growls and stays stood in the hallway, her stare turning angry at Victoria. Victoria throws her hands up and shrugs.

"Sorry," she apologises, insincerely, "Chloe."

Chloe contemplates walking away and fucking Victoria off for good, but she's here now and she can't stand going back home to Joyce and David. She sighs and barges past Victoria into her room, taking a seat on her sofa and stretching her legs out in front of her, placing her feet up on the coffee table.

"Uh, do you mind?" Victoria says, an unimpressed look on her face as she closes her door and places one hand on her hip.

"Mind what, exactly?" Chloe responds, fiddling with the zip on her jacket and paying no attention to Victoria.

Victoria walks over to stand by Chloe and pushes her feet off from on top of the coffee table before throwing herself down next to her on the sofa. "That coffee table costs more than your truck."

"Wouldn't know. I didn't pay for my truck." Chloe lifts her right foot as if she's going to cross it over her left leg, but instead places it on its side on her knee.

"Figures. No one would take it if you were giving it away for free."

Chloe turns to look at Victoria and smiles her shit-eating grin. "I took it for free."

"From what trash heap?"

"The junkyard north of town."

Victoria snorts, almost choking on her laughter. "Wow. You're literal trash, Price."

"Takes trash to know trash," Chloe calmly says, a deadpan look on her face. The intensity of her stare burning into Victoria and silencing her mid-laugh.

"Right," Victoria says, feeling herself get excited just from Chloe's look alone.

Victoria stands and makes her way over to the other side of her room. She opens her wardrobe and roots around it before pulling out a bottle of wine and a glass. Chloe audibly chuckles at the sight but remains silent, Victoria choosing to ignore her. Moving over to her desk, Victoria pours herself a very full glass and throws it all back. Chloe sits and stares at her, feeling slightly impressed at what she just witnessed.

With her back turned to Chloe, she starts to pour a second glass and doesn't notice that Chloe's gotten up and is making her way towards Victoria. An animalistic urge has taken over and Chloe is done with small talk and insults. She inches right up to Victoria so her front is slightly pressing up against Victoria's back, her quickened breath tickling Victoria's neck, sending shocks down her body that meet between her legs. Victoria spills some of her wine as a result. Chloe notices and smiles, reaching her hand around Victoria and taking the glass off her. Chloe downs the wine and using her free hand, she places it on Victoria's hip, a silent way of letting her know that she wants her to stay turned away. Victoria obliges and leans forward on her desk with her hands, mentally preparing herself for whatever Chloe Price has in mind for her.

The close proximity of Chloe's body against hers is getting Victoria hot. She can feel what Chloe's packing in her pants prodding her gently against her ass, causing her clit to throb and tingle in anticipation. She hears Chloe place the glass down somewhere off to the side of them, before feeling Chloe's other hand land on her other hip.

Chloe leans forward and scratches her teeth against Victoria's exposed neck, feeling her body shake a little in response. Victoria cranes her neck to the side, inviting Chloe's mouth in for more. Chloe presses herself harder against Victoria, digging her nails into her hips before sliding her tongue up her neck and to her ear, nipping it with her teeth. Her hands move to explore Victoria's front, cupping her breasts and feeling hardened nipples below her fingertips through the thin material of Victoria's top. Chloe continues kissing Victoria's neck, her breath quickening as Victoria lets out small groans of pleasure.

Victoria closes her eyes and bites down onto her bottom lip, feeling Chloe grind against her ass and bite her neck. Chloe's hands are starting to slide underneath Victoria's shirt, her nails scratching their way up her abdomen. Victoria's skin is burning, flushed with hot anticipation and Chloe smiles against her neck.

"Strip," Chloe whispers in Victoria's ear, before biting down on her ear and sucking on it between her teeth.

Victoria starts to strip and Chloe steps back slightly, giving her room as she removes her top from over her head. By this point, Victoria is so aroused, her hands are shaking as she fumbles with the clasp on her bra. Chloe notices and laughs before reaching up and unclasping Victoria's bra with one hand. Victoria lowers her arms and lets her bra slide and fall to the floor. Chloe is getting antsy and impatient so she reaches for the clasp on Victoria's skirt before she can.

"Don't you fucking dare, Price," Victoria snaps, recalling the previous night and Chloe's inability to not trash her clothes.

Chloe laughs, ignoring Victoria, she quickly unclasps her skirt and pulls it down in one swift motion. "Don't tell me what to do, Chase."

Chloe steps back and admires Victoria's exposed body, save for her panties and a pair of stockings she purposely wore for the occasion. The view is pleasing to Chloe, she feels in control and it makes her wet. In control of Victoria fucking Chase, Queen Bitch at Blackwell.

Thrusting her hips forward against Victoria, Chloe reaches her hands around to Victoria's front again, slowly sliding them over her breasts and down her abdomen. She stops them short at the top of Victoria's panties and changes their course, sliding them down her thighs instead. Taking hold of her thighs, Chloe roughly pulls Victoria's legs apart and pushes her body forward with her own body so Victoria is bent over her desk. Victoria lets out an audible gasp but stays bent over, liking where this is going, her pussy growing wetter.

With Victoria bent over in front of her, Chloe slides her right hand up Victoria's body and wraps it around her neck, choking her. With her free hand, Chloe moves to Victoria's hip and tugs her panties down to her knees, leaving them there. Victoria is breathing fast by this point, Chloe's hand around her neck is intimidating and scary but in an exciting and sexy way, leaving her craving more when Chloe suddenly removes her hand. She can feel Chloe kissing and licking her way down Victoria's back, the pressure of her lips against her skin sending shivers down her spine that make her shake.

Chloe licks her way up Victoria's back and places her arm around the front of Victoria's neck, digging her nails into her left shoulder, pressing herself against Victoria's body. Her free hand squeezes Victoria's ass. Victoria bucks forward and loudly moans when she suddenly feels Chloe spank her. Hard. Leaving a burning and stinging sensation in its place that makes her bite down on her lip.

Chloe slides her hand down Victoria's ass to the inside of her thighs where she feels Victoria's excitement has ran down them.

"You're so wet," Chloe whispers against Victoria's shoulder, biting down on it.

Victoria can't muster up any words in response because she can feel Chloe's fingers slide along her slit, prying her lips apart and sliding inside her. One finger. Two. Victoria moans and shakes as Chloe pumps them in and out, the feeling of Chloe's rough and long fingers reaching deep within her.

Victoria's moans get louder and more regular as Chloe picks up speed and intensity, fucking her harder. Her other arm is still wrapped around Victoria's neck, choking her into her rough embrace.

"Fuck," Victoria cries, gripping hard onto the edge of her desk to steady herself, her knees ready to give out from under her.

Chloe can feel Victoria tightening around her fingers and she's not ready to give her the satisfaction of coming to climax. She stops suddenly and slowly pulls her fingers out. Victoria stays silent, anticipating Chloe's next move. Removing her arm from around Victoria's neck, Chloe pushes Victoria further forward so her whole body is laying forward on the desk and drops down on one knee.

Chloe briefly takes in the sight of Victoria's pussy inches away from her face. She smiles to herself, liking what she's seeing and brings her mouth to it. Victoria goes back to moaning loudly as Chloe works her tongue over her, parting Victoria's slit once more. Chloe pushes her tongue through and into Victoria. The scent and taste of Victoria makes Chloe's clit throb hard. She uses her left hand to fumble for the button on her jeans and her right to scratch and dig her nails down Victoria's thigh. Victoria's eyes start to roll to the back of her head as she feels Chloe's tongue works its way in and out of her pussy. The cold feel of her desk against her is soothing to her flushed, hot and now perspiring skin.

Finally managing to undo her jeans, Chloe stands again and tugs them and her boxers down to her knees, revealing the blue dildo attached to the strap she's donning underneath. Per Victoria's request. Chloe quickly takes her jacket and top off, throwing them behind her. She can feel herself working up a sweat already and it's only going to get worse from here.

Taking hold of Victoria's waist with one hand, Chloe guides the dildo between her legs and slides it against Victoria. Victoria's legs tremble in response and almost give out, but Chloe grabs hold of her, steadying her. Victoria shuts her eyes and enjoys the feel of the cool, hard dildo sliding against her pussy, knocking against her clit every time Chloe thrusts forward far enough. Victoria can't take the teasing anymore though and turns her head to the side so she can see Chloe in the corner of her eye.

"Fuck me, for fuck's sake," Victoria commands.

Chloe laughs and ignores her command, continuing to slide the dildo against her slit. She reaches one hand around and traces her fingertips over Victoria's clit, maximising her pleasure, teasing her further. Victoria's legs are really starting to shake by this point and Chloe tightens her grasp on her, not letting her fall. She adds pressure to Victoria's clit, rubbing it in circular motions whilst still thrusting her hips against her.

"Ch-Chloe, I-I can't, I'm gonna c-come," Victoria moans in raspy breaths.

Hearing this, Chloe pulls her usual stunt and stops everything she's doing and moves away from Victoria. Victoria is close to screaming, not from joy or climax, but from anger. What the fuck is Chloe playing at, again?!

Victoria stands up straight and turns around to look at Chloe.

"I swear to fucking God, if you take out a cigarette and light it, I'll fucking-"

"Shut up," Chloe says, silencing Victoria by crashing her mouth against hers, pulling her into a deep and rough kiss.

Wrapping her arms around Victoria and placing her hands under ass, Chloe hoists her up so she's sat on the desk. Victoria can see where this is going so she wraps her arms around Chloe's shoulders, tangling her fingers in the bluenette's hair, ready to pull. Guiding the dildo once more, Chloe pushes it inside Victoria who's sat on the edge of the desk, wrapping her legs around Chloe's waist and pulling her body in tighter against her. Chloe starts thrusting in and out of Victoria, placing rough kisses on her mouth, neck and shoulder. Altering to bites and licks every now and again. Victoria's moaning grows so loud, she knows other students in the dorms will be able to hear her by this point but she doesn't care. Chloe's too good at this and stifling her screams and moans isn't worth not making others uncomfortable. Chloe doesn't seem to be stopping her either, instead encouraging her by thrusting harder and faster. Victoria pulls on Chloe's hair and starts to rock against her in sync with Chloe's thrusts.

Victoria can feel herself coming close to finishing so she slides her hands down from Chloe's hair and onto her now sweaty back. She digs her nails into Chloe's skin, scratching her hard before letting her hands settle on her hips. Chloe's breathing faster, too. She can feel the strap knocking against her own clit with every thrust and it feels amazing.

Victoria can't take it anymore, she lets out a loud scream, digging her nails deep into the skin of Chloe's waist. She starts to spasm and shake, her pussy contracting and pushing Chloe's dildo out from inside her. She falls back onto her desk, knocking over a book and her lamp, but she doesn't care. She can hear Chloe breathing whilst staring down at her. Victoria shuts her eyes and tries to calm her breathing and shaking limbs.

"How was that, Chase?" Chloe leans down on top of Victoria and takes her nipple in her mouth, grazing over it with her teeth.

Victoria shudders in response, her body already sensitive to touch from her orgasm. She reaches her hand out and finds the top of Chloe's head, pushing her off.

"Satisfactory," Victoria says.

Keeping her eyes closed, she listens as Chloe fumbles around for her jacket, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

"You don't get to lie there and do nothing this time, Vic," Chloe snorts. "Stand the fuck up."

Victoria sighs and sits up to look at Chloe who's exhaling a puff of smoke. Victoria is irritated to see her smoking in her room, but she doesn't care enough to stop her. Not right now. Not after... that.

"What the fuck are you on about, Chloe?"

"Get on your knees," Chloe commands, taking another drag from her cigarette, her eyes locked in an intense stare with Victoria.

Victoria scoffs at Chloe, but does as she's told, sliding down off of the desk and onto her knees. She stares up at Chloe, who simply stares back down at her. Chloe takes another drag from her cigarette before moving over to the window, opening it and discarding it. She walks back over to Victoria and places a hand in her hair, twirling it between her fingertips before pulling on it and bringing Victoria's face forward.

"Clean it," Chloe commands, motioning towards her strap on with her eyes.

Victoria doesn't hesitate, finding the bossy and controlling side to Chloe sexy. She takes the dildo in one hand and brings it to her mouth before opening it and sliding her lips around it. She sucks and licks it clean whilst Chloe looks down at her, mesmerised once more. Victoria peers up at her, batting her eyes as she takes over half of it in her mouth with great ease.

"You're a fucking whore, Chase," Chloe mutters.

Victoria slides her lips back, dropping the dildo out of her mouth and smiles her best bitch smile at Chloe.

Chloe watches as Victoria hooks her fingers into the strap and slowly slides it down Chloe's legs. Chloe closes her eyes and and takes hold of Victoria's hair again pulling her in closer. Her thoughts turn to Rachel as she feels Victoria's tongue against her clit. Chloe throws her head back and moans. Images of Rachel and her in bed flash through her mind. God, she fucking misses her so much. Her touch, her smell, her taste. The way Rachel would look when she came. The way she'd trace her fingertips over every inch of Chloe's body. Chloe yearned to feel her touch again. Her love.

Victoria slides two fingers inside Chloe and starts pumping them in and out, hooking the tips upwards as she does. Chloe scrunches Victoria's hair up into a fist and moans louder. In her mind's eye, she's imagining it's Rachel.

Chloe can feel that build of pressure from within her. She tightens around Victoria's fingers and rocks herself against her mouth, grinding her clit against Victoria's tongue.

Another minute passes before Chloe erupts, her knees shaking, causing her to almost fall forward onto Victoria.

"Fuck, Price, you almost pulled a chunk of my hair out," Victoria snaps, releasing her head from Chloe's hand.

Chloe snaps back to reality, away from her thoughts of Rachel and opens her eyes to look down at Victoria.

"Ha," she snorts, "well you fucking killed my hips with your nails and you didn't see me crying about it."

"Whatthefuckever," Victoria scoffs, getting up off of her knees and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Chloe smiles her shit-eating grin once more and bends down to pull up her strap, boxers and jeans. Victoria finds her top and puts it back on before grabbing a fresh pair of underwear from her wardrobe drawer. She turns to see that Chloe's fully dressed again, another cigarette sticking out from between her lips.

"You smoke a lot, you know that?"

"Yup," Chloe says between pressed lips. "It's been fun, Chase, but I've gotta bounce."

Chloe moves towards the door, but Victoria quickly steps in her path and stops her short. Chloe raises her eyebrows and stares at her.

"Where's Rachel tonight?" Victoria asks, placing her hand on her hip and cocking her head to the side.

"With friends," Chloe responds. "What the fuck is it to you?"

"With friends... Right." Victoria snorts, moving over to sit on her sofa.

Victoria knows this is going to work Chloe up and that's her intention. She wants Chloe to question Rachel. She wants the stitching at their hips to come even more loose.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Chase?!" Chloe snaps, a serious and angry look forming on her face.

"Oh, nothing," Victoria says, glancing down at her nails and avoiding Chloe's intense stare.

"Is there something you know that you're not telling me?"

"Maybe yes, maybe no. Why don't you ask Rachel about that? It's not really my place to say, after all."

Chloe can feel herself getting angrier, her fists slowly clenching, her teeth grinding against each other. She's had enough of Victoria and her mind games.

"Fuck you, Chase," she spits, opening the door and storming out.

"You just did," Victoria mumbles to herself as she watches the door slowly swing shut behind Chloe.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Five days have passed since Chloe's last encounter with Victoria in her dorm room. Chloe had seen and spent time with Rachel since, but she had chosen to ignore Victoria's mind games and do her best to trust Rachel instead. That didn't stop the thoughts playing in her head, though. In all honesty, despite her best efforts at keeping it concealed, she still found herself feeling wary and even slightly angry with Rachel. On the bright side, Victoria hadn't text or gotten in touch since. Plus, Chloe knew she couldn't say anything to Rachel, anyway, they were no longer together, after all.

Humming along to the song on the radio, Chloe shifts from her position in her seat and reaches for her bong. Lighting it, she takes a hit and sits back, filling her lungs and letting her mind drift. The junkyard is her home away from hell (and home) after having discovered it some years back with Rachel. They often hung out together here, especially in their own little junk shack where she's sat getting high now on a torn up car seat. Alone. Rachel is in class, last time Chloe bothered to check, which was over an hour ago now.

Taking another hit, Chloe places the bong down next to her and returns to reading a magazine with her usual half-assed demeanour. Chloe has been coming to the junkyard a lot the past few days, the need to escape and keep her distance from others being too strong since the previous Friday. Every time she was around Rachel, she had been struggling more and more with keeping her cool and her thoughts from escaping her mouth. If anything, this had led to her acting almost cold towards Rachel and avoiding her. It made Chloe feel shitty, but she couldn't help it.

Sighing to herself, Chloe flips over the page and skims her eyes over it. The magazine is old and dirty, found in a batch of other old and discarded magazines. Some dirt is covering the letters on the page and Chloe lifts the page closer to her face, scratching away at it so she can make out what's being said. She's so preoccupied with her face in the magazine, she hasn't noticed Rachel is standing in the doorway to the shack, smiling at her friend with a raised eyebrow.

Rachel seizes the opportunity of a distracted Chloe and lowers herself slightly, creeping forward, whilst Chloe stays oblivious to her presence behind her magazine. Rachel has to hold in her laughter, hearing Chloe mumble and swear under her breath about the state of her magazine.

"BOO!" Rachel shouts, slapping her hands down hard on the table in front of Chloe, sending the loud noise echoing through the junkyard.

Chloe jumps from her seat, managing to fall off of it, whilst sending the magazine flying from her hands.

"What the FUCK, Amber?!" Chloe spits from her position on the floor, looking up at a smug and laughing Rachel.

"Oh, my God! Your face, Price!" Rachel laughs, curling over and holding her sides as she does.

"You're a dick," Chloe mumbles, lifting herself up from the floor and sliding back into her seat.

"You know you love me," Rachel says in-between laughter, sliding into the seat opposite Chloe.

Chloe can't help a small smile hearing Rachel laugh. Glancing at Rachel, she quickly wipes the smile from her face, turning it into a serious one instead as she flips Rachel the bird and reaches for her magazine. Rachel just laughs again. Chloe wants to avoid her gaze, like she has been doing, so she goes back to eyeing up the magazine in her hands.

"Shouldn't you be in class or something?" Chloe asks, not looking up as does, the tone in her voice coming off as harsher than she intended to.

"I finished my classes for today and thought I'd come find you," Rachel answers, eyeing up Chloe and wondering what's gotten into her lately.

"Ah, cool," Chloe mumbles.

"Why? You getting sick of me?"

"No, course not," Chloe snorts a little forcefully, shaking her head as she does.

"So, what've you been up to?" Rachel asks, eyeing Chloe up suspiciously now and anxiously fiddling with her necklace as she does.

Chloe just sits and flips over another page, humming to the radio once more, "Oh, you know, chillin'. Nothing exciting."

Rachel decides to stay silent and simply look at Chloe. Chloe still doesn't look back, but she can feel Rachel's gaze on her and it's making her nervous, so she picks up the bong and takes another hit. Any excuse to keep herself busy from having to look at or speak to Rachel.

"Pass it here, I want a hit," Rachel says, stretching her hand out to Chloe.

Chloe simply nods as she exhales and passes the bong over, not looking Rachel in the eye as she does. She goes to flip the page of the magazine, but suddenly has it yanked from her hands and thrown to the side by a now angry looking Rachel.

"What has gotten into you lately, Chloe?!"

'Shit', Chloe thinks. She's always been terrible at hiding things from Rachel, especially her own thoughts and feelings. Chloe knew that sooner or later, Rachel would catch on, but she's never prepared for the horrible feelings that come with it when she does. Guilt, anger, uncertainty... You name it.

Chloe's taking too long to answer and Rachel is growing impatient. She lifts Chloe's head by her chin, locking their eyes in an intense stare.

"Chloe, don't ignore me," Rachel says, her gaze into Chloe's eyes unwavering.

"Jesus," Chloe says, forcing a small laugh, "I'm fine, Rach. You just scared me before is all."

Chloe takes Rachel's hand and gives it a small squeeze, before letting go and standing up. She walks over to the radio and pretends to look for a different station, avoiding Rachel's gaze once more. She can feel it burning into the back of her head, though, and hear Rachel's breathing growing heavier with impatience and anger. Chloe herself starts to feel some anger bubbling its way to the surface, too. Anger she's tried hard to keep well under the surface. The conversation with Victoria flashing in her mind. The suspicion she already had before that conversation becoming intensified after it. Chloe doesn't know how long she'll be able to keep her mouth shut and knowing Rachel, she knows it won't be for much longer because she's ready to keep pressing Chloe for answers.

"You've always been a shitty liar, Price, especially when it comes to how you feel," Rachel says from somewhere behind Chloe.

Chloe forces a laugh again, "I don't know what you're on about, Amber."

"Yes, you do, Chloe!" Rachel half shouts, "You've been acting really fucking strange with me lately and I want to know why."

Chloe sighs, trying to steady her now shaking hands on the radio. She doesn't know what to say and she hates arguing with Rachel, but she can see it heading that way. A big part of her just wants to dive out of the window saying 'La La Land this way' and run away from Rachel, away from the situation. Away from herself. But, she can't, her feet feel like cement on the ground, her grip on the radio tightening as Victoria's words keep playing over in her mind.

 _Why don't you ask Rachel about that? It's not really my place to say, after all._

"I'm fine, Rach. You're acting hella fucking paranoid," Chloe manages to muster up, before resuming her fake search for a different station.

"Then why won't you look at me?" Rachel asks, almost whispers, a sadness in her voice.

Chloe feels a pang in her chest at the question. Fuck, she feels so shitty right now. She can't help it, but she knows she has no right to be mad at Rachel. Chloe sighs again, before slowly turning to look at Rachel, finally meeting her gaze. She plasters a forced and fake smile on her face, hoping Rachel won't see past it. Rachel crosses her arms across her chest, a serious look meeting Chloe's in return. She hoped wrong.

Chloe slouches back against the wall of the shack, shrugging her shoulders, before mimicking Rachel's stance and crossing her own arms over her chest. Rachel doesn't say anything, choosing instead to keep staring at Chloe whilst taking slow, but confident, steps towards her. Rachel stops, her face only inches away from Chloe's. Chloe can feel Rachel's breath against her skin and the heat from her body. She doesn't want to give herself away more than she already has, so she forces herself to hold Rachel's gaze.

Rachel's eyes start searching Chloe's and Chloe knows she's reading her. Textbook Amber. Shit.

"There's something on your mind and you're not telling me," Rachel whispers, her breath tickling Chloe's face, making the hair on her skin stand up.

'Fuck it', Chloe thinks.

"Okay, so maybe there is, but it doesn't matter, okay?"

Rachel's eyebrows raise at Chloe in response. Chloe tries to side step and walk away from Rachel, only she's stopped in her tracks when Rachel takes hold of her wrist and spins her around to face her again.

"Chloe!" Rachel snaps.

"What?!" Chloe snaps back, pulling Rachel's hand away from her wrist, anger flaring on her face.

Rachel's angry, too, now. The tension in the air is so thick, a knife would struggle to slice through it. It's falling heavy on Chloe's chest, quickening her breathing. Her brain is swimming in thoughts and feelings. It's getting overwhelming. Her mouth can't stay shut anymore.

"You know you're the one to talk about acting fucking strange, Amber."

"What the fuck does that mean, Chloe?!"

"You keep fucking disappearing on me. There's something you're getting up to and you're not telling me," Chloe snipes, adding emphasis to the 'you're'.

"Oh, really?" Rachel spits, her brows furrowing.

"Yeah, really! Seems to me you've been spending a lot of time with friends," Chloe half shouts, using air quotations on the word 'friends'.

"What the fuck does that mean?!"

"You're fucking seeing someone and keeping it from me. I know you are. Just fucking tell me!"

Rachel shakes her head and uncrosses her arms, before turning to walk away. This time, Chloe's hand meets her wrist and spins her around.

"Is that why you ended things between us?!" Chloe says, not letting her grip go on Rachel's wrist, her stare into Rachel's eyes intensifying.

"NO!" Rachel shouts, "You KNOW why I ended things, Chloe. You lied to me about my father, remember?!"

Chloe lets go of Rachel's wrist, the sting from her words causing her eyes to start welling up. That was one secret Chloe had successfully kept from Rachel for years, but Rachel had found out from Frank. Fucking Frank of all people. Rachel had been angry with Chloe for a little while, but had forgiven her eventually. Rachel said she couldn't trust Chloe enough for a relationship anymore, that she couldn't carry on knowing their relationship had started on such a big lie. They'd been through so much together, neither could walk away from the other, either.

"So, where have you been going then?"

"Out. With friends. A concept you're not familiar with, I know, but it fucking exists, Chloe!" 

"Fuck you, Amber," Chloe cries, her hand shaking as she runs it over the back of her neck, "you're lying. You were never like this before recently!"

"You know what's funny?" Rachel asks, her voice starting to shake and break with emotion.

"What?" Chloe asks coldly, turning away from Rachel to look out the window towards the tracks, her fists now clenching and her teeth grinding.

"The fact that you're standing here accusing me of not telling you about someone I'm seeing... When you've been fucking Victoria fucking Chase."

Hearing this, Chloe spins to look at Rachel, her mouth hanging open in shock. The look on Rachel's face makes her quickly snap it shut again. She's got tears spilling down the side of her face, but her brows are still furrowed and her eyes may as well have fire in them with the way they're burning into Chloe.

"W-what? I-I.." Chloe stutters, tears of her own falling down her face now, too.

"I saw you, in your truck, the night of the Vortex Club party. I came out looking for you." Rachel sighs, angrily wiping at the tears on her face.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because, Chloe, it's none of my fucking business who you fuck anymore," Rachel snaps, "Even if it is that BITCH Victoria Chase."

Chloe feels herself anger even more at these words. Does Rachel care so little about her moving onto someone else? Why doesn't she care as much as Chloe does? Chloe only had suspicions, whereas Rachel had actually seen her in action and... What? She could just keep it to herself like it was nothing? Clearly she had moved onto someone else, too, then. Right?

Chloe takes some quick and angry steps in Rachel's direction before stopping inches from her face. She wanted to scream and let everything out, but as she stands and stares into Rachel's eyes, her nostrils flaring and brows furrowed, words simply fail her. She's no longer angry at Rachel, she's angry at herself. She's angry at Victoria fucking Chase and her stupid mind games. Rachel's always been popular, of course she has friends, you fucking idiot Price. Chloe doesn't know what she's more jealous of, the fact Rachel has friends or the fact she's been spending more time with them and less with her. Both. Chloe had friends once... Friend. Max. And she fucking left, too. They always do.

"FUCK!" Chloe finally screams, swiping her arm out and knocking a mirror over, shattering it to pieces.

"Nice one, Chloe!" Rachel snaps, looking down at her broken make-up mirror.

Chloe walks over to the table where she picks up the bong and struggles to light it, her hands visibly shaking in anger.

"Hey, when I get angry, I smash shit, unlike SOME, who burn whole fucking forests down," Chloe retorts, finally managing to light up and take a hit, her lips trembling as she exhales.

"Were you angry when you went and smashed Victoria?!" Rachel laughs mockingly, shaking her head in disbelief at Chloe.

"Maybe I was, what's it to fucking you?" Chloe asks, her voice catching in her throat. "You sound hella fucking jealous," she adds, lifting her hands to her head and balling up her fists over her beanie.

"Ha, and you sound hella fucking delusional. But then again, you must be to fuck that slut!"

Chloe doesn't know what to say in response and instead chooses to stay silent. Her heart is pounding in her chest and her thoughts are all over the place, yet she feels numb, too. How is that possible? She feels stupid, it's almost laughable. What's worse is she doesn't know what to do now... She can't seem to stop her thoughts and focus her anger and attention on one person or thing. She's scared Rachel is going to be the one it all falls on if she opens her mouth again. Rachel doesn't deserve that. She hasn't done anything, has she? She even kept the whole Victoria thing to herself, despite the fact she hates Victoria. She didn't push Chloe or hold it against her. But now, Chloe's opened her mouth and she wishes she hadn't. What good has come of it? Nothing.

Chloe kicks the seat she was sat in and shakes her head. She wishes she knew how to get a hold of her feelings. Or at least be able to hide them better, especially from Rachel. That way, this never would have happened. 'Way to go, Chloe', she thinks, picking up the bong once more. She just wants to forget and lose herself. To not have to deal with this bullshit right now. Rachel feels differently, though.

"What, Price? Nothing to say about your Chase adventures?" Rachel asks, her voice piercing like a knife.

Chloe feels another pang in her chest. Rachel watches her closely as Chloe slumps down in her seat and stretches her long legs out with bong in hand, staying silent once more. Chloe's doing her best to let her anger subside, but Rachel isn't ready to let it go.

"Didn't think so," Rachel sighs, crossing her arms, "why did you do it then?"

"Do what?" Chloe mumbles with her eyes looking down at her feet, her right foot swaying side to side anxiously.

"Fuck her, lie to me about it and then accuse me of doing the same thing?" Rachel snaps, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Did you really feel that rejected by me that you went and fucked the one person I can't fucking stand the most?! Were you trying to get back at me or something?!"

Hearing this, Chloe snaps and the anger rushes to the surface again. She slams the bong down and throws herself up from her seat and over to Rachel in one quick motion, stopping inches before her face again.

"Is that what you think?! I did it because I thought you moved on to fuck someone else and it fucking hurts me because I still love you! But you don't give a shit about me, do you?!" Chloe shouts.

"Really, Price?! There is no one else! Wherever you got that idea from, take it back and shove it up your ass!" Rachel shouts back, spit spraying Chloe's face.

"Whatever. Fuck you," Chloe snipes, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

Rachel quickly raises her hand and starts bringing it fast and heavy towards Chloe's face, but Chloe reacts just in time, grabbing hold of it in mid air. She pushes Rachel back against the wall of the shack, her hand still firmly grasped over Rachel's.

"How dare you fucking say these things to me, Chloe?! Especially that I don't give a shit about you! After everything?!" Rachel's anger leaves her face on the last two words and anguish quickly replaces it. Tears start falling again, making her body slump and shake against the wall.

Chloe simply looks at her for a while before sighing and loosening her grip on Rachel's hand. Rachel's right. Chloe knows this, but hearing those words before cut deep. She'd never intentionally hurt Rachel. Not after everything, she's right. Damn it.

Realising this and seeing Rachel's face, the anger inside of her quickly dwindles to a sad sort of disappointment instead. In herself. Chloe realises she's still holding Rachel's hand and raises it slowly to her lips, planting a soft kiss on the back of it. Chloe hates seeing Rachel cry and knowing she's the cause makes it a hundred times worse. Rachel sniffs and gently pulls her hand away from Chloe's lips, turning her head to look away from her.

"I'm sorry, Rach," Chloe mumbles, moving closer to Rachel so their bodies are almost pressed together.

Rachel sighs a sad sigh and looks up at Chloe, "I'm sorry, too."

"What for? I'm the one who's acted like an asshole," Chloe says, gently pulling Rachel into an embrace.

Rachel hesitates at first, but quickly relaxes into Chloe's arms and feels her warmth, smells her smell. That's all it takes for the tension to leave her body. She just wants things back to how they were before Chloe started acting strangely and cold towards her. She's missed their friendship.

"For the things I said and for almost slapping you," Rachel sniffs again, before wrapping her arms around Chloe's waist and burying her face into her shoulder.

"With everything I said, I hella deserved it," Chloe mutters, resting her head against the top of Rachel's.

"No, you don't," Rachel breathes into Chloe's shoulder.

Chloe doesn't know what to say and frankly, she doesn't care, instead enjoying having Rachel in her arms again. Even if it's after a horrible argument. It had always been that way between them, since day one. They'd argue and then they'd quickly make up again. Chloe could never stay mad at Rachel. Which is weird, because Chloe had no trouble staying mad at others. The only other person Chloe struggled to stay mad at was Max. But even then, her and Max had never really argued before Max had left for Seattle.

Rachel can feel Chloe's lips kissing the top of her head and it makes her smile. The smile quickly vanishes, though, when she realises she's just lied to Chloe. There is someone else. Rachel has been seeing them casually for some weeks now, but she didn't know how to bring it up to Chloe... Or if she should. After that reaction, though, from suspicion alone, she felt compelled to lie to her. Plus, the fact it's Frank she's seeing made things all the more complicated. It was all so confusing for her. Rachel found herself getting close to Frank after he told her the truth about her father and her and Chloe's split. Honestly, part of her just wanted a distraction from Chloe and her feelings for her. Their break up had been hard on them both, after all. Did that make Frank her rebound? Maybe. Rachel didn't know what to think anymore. She still doesn't. There's one thing she still knew for certain, though.

"I still care about you, Chloe, you know that, right?" Rachel sighs, moving her head to look up at Chloe.

"I know," Chloe whispers, staring down into Rachel's eyes.

Rachel follows Chloe's gaze and knows it's left lingering on her lips. What now? She knows what's about to come and she doesn't know whether to stop it or not. Part of her thinks she should. They've been doing so well since... But, a bigger part of her has missed Chloe and the physical closeness they once shared. Frank was okay, but he was nowhere near Chloe's level. 'Shit', Rachel thinks.

Chloe can see and feel Rachel's hesitation as she eyes up her lips and it makes her heart sink. She yearns for the days when Rachel wouldn't hesitate even for a second. But she made an agreement, so she should stick to it. She should respect it, for Rachel's sake, right?

Chloe turns to look away from Rachel and gently pushes her out from her embrace, before turning to walk towards her seat. She's halfway there before...

"Chloe?"

"Ye-," Chloe starts to say as she turns around, but she's cut off as Rachel's lips and body come crashing into her own. Rachel's managed to jump up and wrap her legs around Chloe and, luckily, Chloe's been fast enough to catch her.

Chloe doesn't have time to think, but her body reacts automatically, anyway. She wraps her arms around Rachel's waist and pulls her in closer, deepening and hardening their kiss. Rachel arches her back into it, moaning into Chloe's mouth when her tongue meets hers. Chloe's head starts to feel faint with excitement, causing her to stagger with Rachel in her arms, her hands firmly grasping onto Rachel's ass so she doesn't drop her. Chloe's grasp just makes Rachel moan more though, causing Chloe's excitement to rush from her head to in-between her legs.

Chloe starts to slowly stagger forward until Rachel's back is pressed up against the wall. With the wall propping Rachel up and Chloe's body pressing into hers, Chloe feels confident and starts sliding her hands down Rachel's thighs, slightly dragging her nails into the denim of her jeans as she does. Rachel's breath quickens and she bites down on Chloe's lip, sucking it between her teeth, eliciting a moan out of the blue haired punk.

Chloe runs her hands up Rachel's body, leaving one lingering over her breast, whilst the other works its way up to Rachel's neck, tangling itself in her hair and pulling on it gently. Rachel's breath hitches in her throat at the feel of Chloe's hand pressing and squeezing her breast, her nipple hardening under its touch. Chloe's slowly bucking and thrusting her hips against Rachel's as she does, which leaves them both throbbing and growing wet.

Rachel runs her hands up Chloe's back to her head where she pulls off Chloe's beanie and tosses it to the side, before tangling her hands in her blue hair and running her nails across her scalp. She cocks her head to the side and pulls Chloe's head down into the crook of her neck, encouraging her to plant rough kisses against it. Rachel busies her lips on Chloe's neck in return, biting and sucking her racing pulse, before licking her way up to her ear where she nips and sucks on her earlobe. The feel of Rachel's breath in her ear sends shivers down Chloe's spine, causing her to shake and moan, her breath growing ragged.

Chloe pulls away from Rachel and takes hold of her arms, pulling them off of her so she can raise them up against the wall above Rachel's head. She holds them there by Rachel's wrists, pinning her even more against the wall. Rachel tilts her head back to look up at her arms, before looking back down into Chloe's face where she's met with an intense and hungry stare from those piercing blue eyes. Rachel bites down on her bottom lip, trying not to squirm in anticipation for whatever Chloe has in mind, instead choosing to wrap her legs tighter around Chloe, edging her on.

Chloe squeezes Rachel's wrists, signalling her to keep her arms where they are, before slowly sliding her hands down them. Rachel keeps her arms up and holds Chloe's gaze as she does. Chloe teases Rachel by slowing her hands down, dragging them harder over her when she reaches her breasts. Rachel can't help but let out a small moan and buck of her hips in response. Chloe's hands find their way to the hem of Rachel's shirt and begin lifting it up and over Rachel's head and arms, before she tosses it to side and runs her hands back down and around to the clasp of Rachel's bra. Rachel arches her back forward slightly, giving Chloe room to quickly unclasp it in one swift motion.

Rachel lowers her arms before Chloe can lower them for her and places her hands back in Chloe's hair. Chloe leans forward and uses her teeth to tug Rachel's bra away from her breasts, before running her tongue over her left nipple and sucking it between her teeth. She alters between running circles and flicking her tongue over it, causing Rachel to let out moans and pull on her hair harder. She uses her right hand to pinch and roll Rachel's other nipple between her thumb and forefinger. The sensations proving too much for Rachel, she starts to slump and slide down the wall, but Chloe quickly reacts by pressing herself up harder against her and moving her hands back to under her ass for extra support.

"C-Chloe?" Rachel moans.

Chloe looks up at Rachel, meeting her hungry and heated stare, "Yeah?"

Rachel lowers her head down and licks her tongue across Chloe's bottom lip, her eyes still staring into hers. Rachel parts Chloe's mouth with her tongue and moans into it.

"Fuck me, please."

Chloe just moans in response, kissing Rachel back harder as she moves them away from the wall and walks over to the makeshift sofa of lined up bus seats. Rachel starts to slide Chloe's jacket off her shoulders as does, then reaches down her back and pulls her t-shirt up so she can scratch her nails across her back. Chloe smiles against Rachel's lips at this and gently lies Rachel down on the seats, before manoeuvring herself so her body is lay down on top of Rachel's.

Their kisses grow more and more heated and rough, their breathing matching pace as Rachel pulls Chloe's shirt up. Their kiss breaks momentarily as the fabric of Chloe's shirt slides over their lips, their lips crashing together again once it's off and dropped to the floor.

Chloe shifts so her leg is in-between Rachel's and Rachel's is in-between her own and starts to thrust and grind against her, kissing her way down from Rachel's lips to her neck. Hearing Rachel moan and feeling her scratch her back down to her ass excites Chloe and causes her to pick up her speed and intensity. She can feel her boxers sticking to her more and more with every thrust against Rachel's leg. Her clit is pulsing and she can feel small shocks running through her body.

Rachel slides her hands down below the waistband of Chloe's jeans and underwear to her ass, squeezing her cheeks and pulling her harder against herself. She wants to feel Chloe inside of her so bad. Chloe's leg pressing and grinding against her alone is causing her to feel her own excitement run down her leg to her ass. Rachel pushes her hands further down Chloe's ass and reaches around and underneath, slowly sliding a finger against her wet slit.

Chloe bucks by the sudden surprise of Rachel's touch and moans into Rachel's ear, biting down on her earlobe as she does.

"Fuck," Chloe breathes, arching her back and moving herself down into Rachel's hand.

Hearing Chloe moan and feeling how wet she is spurs Rachel on and she slides a finger inside, feeling Chloe's tightness loosen slightly as she does. Chloe moans once more and continues to thrust and grind against Rachel's leg, her clit enjoying the rolling pressure against it through the material of her jeans and boxers.

"I want more of you," Chloe says in a ragged breath into Rachel's ear in-between her moans.

Rachel slips in another finger and starts pumping them both in and out of Chloe's pussy, using her spare hand to scratch her way back up her back to the clasp on her bra. She undoes it and slides a strap down Chloe's shoulder, before moving her head up to kiss and lick Chloe's shoulder and collarbone. The feel of Rachel's lips on her collarbone makes Chloe's skin burn and the hairs on her body stand. She pulls back slightly and removes her bra, before lowering herself again and pressing her bare skin and breasts against Rachel's. Both their nipples are hard and their skin flushed and starting to perspire. Chloe bites down on Rachel's shoulder, swallowing a loud moan as Rachel picks up speed with her fingers.

Rachel can feel Chloe tightening around her fingers, but Chloe's jeans are restricting her hands movement and it's starting to annoy her so she slowly slides out. Dragging her hands around the waistband of Chloe's jeans, she starts to unbuckle her belt. Chloe lifts her hips off Rachel so she can do so and continues planting kisses on her neck, slowly moving her way back up to Rachel's lips. Reaching down, she starts to fumble with Rachel's belt, too, undoing it as Rachel finishes undoing hers and starts to drag her jeans down her ass and legs.

Chloe sits up onto her knees and pulls down Rachel's jeans to her ankles, where she removes her shoes and socks, too, before sliding the jeans off completely. Chloe looks back up at Rachel's face and catches her staring at her body, her teeth biting onto her bottom lip as she does.

"Like what you see, Amber?" Chloe chuckles, teasing Rachel with a wink.

Rachel snaps her eyes up from Chloe's body and meets her gaze, her face blushing at being caught.

"Always," Rachel says.

Chloe smirks and stands to remove her own jeans and shoes, enjoying the fact that Rachel's watching her as she does. Chloe stands above Rachel for a moment, considering whether or not to tease her but Rachel reaches out and takes hold of Chloe's hand, pulling her back onto her before she can make the decision. Chloe lets out a small laugh at Rachel's eagerness, before leaning into a deep and passionate kiss, their tongues meeting once more.

Chloe can feel Rachel's wetness against her thigh through the material of her underwear and she knows Rachel will no doubt be able to feel hers against her own. Chloe starts to kiss and lick her way down Rachel's chest, whilst Rachel rocks up against her and pulls her hair. Chloe lets out a moan as she feels Rachel's leg bump and grind against her clit, but silences it by wrapping her mouth around Rachel's nipple, grazing her teeth slightly over it as she does.

Rachel bites her lip and breathes out a heavy guttural moan, scratching her nails down Chloe's scalp whilst pushing and guiding her head lower down her body. Chloe smiles a toothy smile at this and licks her way down to Rachel's left hip where she bites and grazes the bone that juts out from it with her teeth, sending shivers Rachel's body. Rachel bunches up a fist in Chloe's hair, pulling it hard and half growls in response. Chloe smiles again, knowing Rachel has ticklish and sensitive hip bones.

Using her hands to push herself further down, Chloe is greeted with a close up of Rachel's red, lacy G-string. One of Chloe's favourites. Images of when she first saw Rachel wearing these flash through her mind and cause her breath to hitch in her throat, awakening an animalistic urge in her. Chloe leans in and bites down on the inside of Rachel's thigh, making Rachel moan out loud and arch her back and hips up towards Chloe and her mouth, begging her to end the teasing.

Chloe can't carry on, either, her want for Rachel too strong by this point. Pulling down her underwear, Chloe lowers her lips against Rachel's clit and presses her tongue into it. Hard. Rachel's legs start to spasm and shake from the touch of Chloe's tongue on her, her hips involuntarily bucking and rocking, too. Chloe gently nibbles with her teeth, before sucking Rachel's clit in-between them and starting to flick her tongue over it, eliciting more moans and hair pulling from Rachel. Their breaths quicken, and Rachel can feel Chloe's breath on her clit and pussy, adding to the pleasure.

Rachel can feel herself building up to climax as Chloe picks up her tongue flicking speed and she's not ready for it to finish. Using the hand she still tangled up in Chloe's hair, she pushes her head away and sits up. Chloe kneels back and looks at her, a look of confusion on her face as to why Rachel stopped her. Rachel smiles and leans in to kiss her, before pulling and manoeuvring Chloe so she's the one lay back on the bus seats and Rachel is on top of her.

Chloe props herself on her elbows and watches as Rachel tenderly kisses her way down her chest, using her fingers to twist and pull Chloe's nipple piercing. Chloe's heavy and fast breathing has the muscles in her abdomen contracting, showing toned lines that Rachel traces with her tongue, tasting the sweat from Chloe's body as she does. Licking her way back up to Chloe's breasts, Rachel quickly plants some rough kisses on them, before biting down on her left breast near the centre of her chest and sucking her skin. Chloe moans and throws her head back, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of Rachel on top of her again.

It's not long before Chloe feels Rachel's fingers start to scratch their way down her abdomen and slip below her boxers, resting just above her clit. Chloe opens her eyes and looks down at Rachel, who's staring up at her. Chloe leans down and places a soft and tender kiss on Rachel's lips, before pulling back and looking into her eyes again.

"Together?" Chloe asks, knowing Rachel will know what she means.

Rachel smiles and nods, kissing Chloe again as Chloe slides her hand down the length of Rachel's body and slips it under her underwear, too. Rachel takes the lead and Chloe follows, mimicking her movements. Rachel lowers her fingers, rubbing Chloe's clit slowly in circular motions, adding pressure as she does. Chloe does the same in return. Rachel looks Chloe in the eyes as she does, and Chloe does the same in return.

It's not long before both girls are moaning heavily into each other's mouths and sliding their fingers inside of each other, bending the tips with every pump, hitting each other's good spots. Rachel picks up speed, and grinds her hips into Chloe's hand, as Chloe does, too, thrusting her hips up and into Rachel's hand. Everything they do is done in unison and they can both feel the pressure building and growing inside themselves. Chloe starts to let out small screams and Rachel bites her bottom lip, before kissing her hard to muffle them, as well as her own. They can both feel each other tightening around each other's fingers and they both know they're coming close.

"R-Rach, I-I..I'm gonna..." Chloe moans and stutters with ragged breaths.

"I know, m-me, too," Rachel moans back, her breath equally as ragged, "Come for me, C-Chloe."

Chloe nods slightly and tightens her grip on Rachel with her free hand, pulling her close and kissing her hard as she starts to feel herself tighten and spasm underneath her, the finish line in sight. She can feel Rachel's body against her, in sync with her own, shaking and spasming, too.

Their fingers work faster and harder, reaching deeper with every pump and it's not long before both girls start to come to climax. Together.

Chloe quickly presses her lips to Rachel's and they both let out their final, loud guttural moans into each others mouths as they reach the peak of their shared climax. Their bodies shake and spasm all over and warm juices spill from inside of them onto each other's hands. An eruption of euphoria causes them to then fall limp against each other, panting and sweating.

"Fuck," Rachel says, before kissing Chloe long and hard in appreciation.

Chloe's head is swimming, but she returns Rachel's kiss and then pulls back to lie her head back onto the seat.

"Shit, Amber," Chloe breathes, removing her hand from Rachel's underwear before placing it over her own beating heart.

"Mmm, tell me about it," Rachel snorts, burrowing her face into Chloe's neck and taking in her scent.

Chloe and Rachel lie together in silence for a while, allowing their bodies to slow and come back down from their high. Chloe can feel her eyelids growing heavy as her breathing slows and starts to return to normal. Rachel's breathing has already slowed way down and deepened, indicating she's fallen asleep on top of Chloe, her face still buried into the crook of her neck.

Chloe smiles and plants a kiss in Rachel's hair, before reaching down next to her and finding her jacket to cover over themselves, wrapping Rachel tighter into her arms as she does so she's not hanging off the edge of the seat.

Closing her eyes, Chloe sighs and leans her head against Rachel's. The smell of jasmine follows her into her dreams.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

" _Chloe! You're pushing me too high!" an awkward, freckled, brunette shrieks, failing to hide a big grin despite her fear._

" _Relax, Super-Max! Don't you feel like you're flying?!" Chloe laughs, pushing Max harder on the swing._

" _It feels like I'm going to fall!" Max cries, gripping tighter onto the swing, her face flushed with a mix of joy and anxiety. She can feel the adrenaline rushing through her body, causing a fluttering feeling in her lower stomach._

" _Captain Chloe Bluebeard would never let that happen to you!" Chloe protests. "And besides, I can see you smiling, Max Longsilver, you don't fool me! Arrrrr!"_

 _Max erupts into a fit of giggles as Chloe pushes her harder on the swing, sending her almost level with the bar at the top. Any harder and she'll send the tiny brunette swinging all the way round._

" _Chloe! Take it easy on Max there, kiddo! I didn't set that swing up for you to send her flying from it!"_

 _Chloe and Max continue to laugh as Chloe starts to bring the swing to a slower pace, much to Max's relief. Her friend always having been the more boisterous and brave one._

" _Sorry, Daddy!" Chloe shouts back at William, who's stood smiling at the girls from his place by the grill._

" _Dinner's almost ready. Time to go on in and wash up," William says, flipping a burger over._

 _The swing is now at a halt, with Max's feet firmly placed back on the ground. She turns and smiles a cheeky smile at Chloe._

" _What?" Chloe smiles back, her head tilting slightly in confusion._

" _Race ya!" Max shouts, raising her eyebrows playfully, before quickly standing from the swing and running off ahead of Chloe._

" _You cheater!" Chloe shouts back after Max, laughing as she does._

 _The small brunette is almost inside the house and Chloe is hot on her trail. She can hear Max laughing._

" _Hey, Max," Chloe shouts, "Wait for me, Max! Max-"_

 _. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

"Wait for me!" Chloe shouts, jolting herself awake from her slumber.

Chloe sighs and groggily takes in her surroundings. It's gone darker outside, but she can still see she's in the junk shack. Groaning, she stretches out, her arms above her head and her toes pointing. Turning over, she sees she's still naked, but she's been covered by a blanket. 'Rachel', Chloe thinks.

"Rach," Chloe mumbles.

"I'm right here," Rachel whispers, snapping Chloe's attention towards the corner of the shack where she's stood looking out the window. She's fully dressed.

"Oh, okay," Chloe says, relaxing back into the seats, relieved Rachel didn't up and leave her.

"Hey, Chloe, it's getting late and I need to get back to Blackwell," Rachel says, turning to look over at the blue haired punk, a small smile on her face.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Chloe says, sitting up and grabbing at her discarded clothes, "I'll give you a ride back."

"Thanks," Rachel replies, walking out to leave Chloe to dress.

The ride back to Blackwell is a silent one, but to their relief it's a peaceful sort of silence that doesn't feel awkward. Occasionally, they both hum and sing along to the radio, before turning and smiling at each other. Their love for music having always been something they've shared from the day they met at the Firewalk concert at the Old Mill.

Pulling up outside Blackwell, Chloe puts her truck in neutral and the handbrake on, before turning to look at Rachel.

"Thanks again," Rachel says, smiling at Chloe.

"No problem," Chloe says, pulling a packet of cigarettes from her pocket.

"Chloe..." Rachel says.

"I know, Rachel," Chloe sighs, placing a cigarette between her lips and lighting it. "It can't happen again and we should go back to focussing on our friendship."

"I'm sorry. It's just, we were doing so well, you know? Plus," Rachel sighs, "I need you. I always have."

Chloe smiles a small smile hearing Rachel say those words and takes a drag on her cigarette.

"I know," Chloe responds, exhaling smoke as does, "I need you, too."

"So, we're good, right?" Rachel asks, the look in her eyes hopeful when Chloe raises her gaze to meet them.

"Always, Amber," Chloe laughs, winking at Rachel.

Rachel laughs, too, before leaning over and planting a kiss on Chloe's cheek.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Price," Rachel says, opening the door and stepping out, before closing it behind her.

"Later," Chloe half shouts, watching as Rachel turns to give her a small wave before turning back and walking in the direction of the dorms.

Chloe sits back in her seat, silently watching as Rachel's figure gets smaller and smaller in the distance. It's only when Rachel turns the corner that Chloe finally lets tears fall down the side of her face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

She shouldn't have done it. But she did and now she's wishing she hadn't. It's only gone and left a bad taste in her mouth, one no amount of "reasoning" can seem to shake.

"Fuck," Victoria sighs, shaking her head from side to side.

Picking up her pace, she walks over to the side of the dorm building, her head lowered and arms crossed over her chest. She needs the fresh air and some time to think, away from the others in the dorms. She'd been struggling to sit still alone with her thoughts for the past few hours now.

Finding a secluded spot, Victoria leans against the wall and closes her eyes. It's quiet, save for the slight rustle of the leaves on the trees from the evening breeze and the muffled, distant sound of students in the building she's leaning against.

Sighing again, Victoria's mind wanders back to the afternoon's events.

She was there.

In that stinky junkyard. She'd followed Rachel after class, being sure not to get spotted as she did. Victoria hadn't seen or heard from Chloe in days and she didn't want to be the first to break the silence... But, she also wanted to see and hear Chloe again. This confused Victoria and she wasn't sure as to why exactly she'd want to see that blue haired mess again so soon. So... eagerly.

Thinking of Chloe makes Victoria sigh even harder. Opening her eyes, Victoria leans forward and starts to fumble in the pocket of her jacket, retrieving a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. Victoria never really smoked unless she was at a party and had been drinking. She always found the habit disgusting and tacky. Beneath her. Yet... Ever since her and Chloe's first night together, she'd found herself drawn to them. The smell mainly... Chloe's smell.

Victoria shook her head at the thought of Chloe with her and lit the cigarette, taking a deep drag and feeling the familiar burn in her throat and lungs. Closing her eyes again, Victoria exhales slowly, her face twisting into a look of frustration.

That was quite some argument she'd been witness to. The tension in the air had even gone as far as reaching Victoria in her hiding spot just outside of the junk shack. Victoria had also been careful not to touch anything whilst hiding, thoughts of tearing or dirtying her clothes still finding room at the forefront of her mind. Or worse, cutting herself against some rusty, scrap metal and having to get a tetanus shot. Victoria briefly wondered what would possess Rachel and Chloe to hang around in such a shithole, too. Okay, perhaps she could see why Chloe would, but Rachel? Rachel was rich and popular, too. Wasn't a stinky junkyard riddled with hepatitis and trash beneath her? Victoria didn't understand and she still couldn't.

Speaking of things being beneath people... Rachel somehow wound up beneath Chloe. Quite literally. Victoria hadn't seen as much as she had heard, but the long drawn out silence sparked her curiosity from where she was situated. She risked a peek through a small gap in the poorly constructed wall she was leaning against. Chloe and Rachel were kissing... The kind of kissing that quickly leads to more. Seeing that, Victoria felt a pang in her chest. A weird sensation... One she had never felt before. What even was that? Why did seeing them kiss make her feel so... uncomfortable? Why did she care what they got up to? Victoria didn't stick around to find out, instead quickly making a (thankfully) silent escape.

The image in her mind of Chloe and Rachel kissing brings the pang to Victoria's chest again, causing her to cough slightly on her exhale. 'What the fuck even is that?' Victoria thinks, shaking her head and taking another drag, her hand visibly shaking as she does.

It seems things between Rachel and Chloe were far more complicated than first anticipated. They clearly had history... and drama. Victoria's most shocking discovery was Chloe mentioning Rachel burning down a forest.

'Had that seriously been Rachel?!' Victoria wonders, thinking back to some years previously when a massive forest fire broke out randomly in the Bay. Authorities hadn't been one hundred percent certain on the cause, but they had put it down to arson, be it deliberate or not. No one had ever been caught or charged. It had caused mass destruction and obstructions, delaying people and throwing the town off balance for days. What was really fucking strange is that the fire sort of... stopped. On it's own. It just ceased after a few days. Firefighters and the local authorities were perplexed, same goes for the rest of the town, too. No one knew why or how... No reason was given. If it had been a movie or something, the lack of reason behind something so significant would have caused a fan outrage, with people demanding answers from the makers. They'd undoubtedly put it down to being there for "fan interpretation"... But, everyone knows the real reason is lazy writing. This was real life, however, and the town simply accepted it for it was.

Knowing Rachel was the cause now, though... It made Victoria feel on edge. Rachel was confident and not in the least bit shy about voicing her disapprovals, but was she really capable of burning a fucking forest down? Victoria couldn't help but wonder if this means there's a dangerous side to Rachel she had no idea existed. Did she mean to do it or was it an accident?

Victoria shivers at the thought, taking the final drag from her cigarette, before dropping it and crushing it under her heel. Whatever the case, there was more to Rachel than she first thought, a side to her she wasn't keen on seeing for herself. Victoria would have to be more careful in future because having her shit burned wasn't on her list of things she wanted to accomplish.

Victoria shrugs to herself and turns to make her way back to the dorms, but the sound of an approaching vehicle makes her stop in her tracks. Turning to face the road, Victoria sees an all-too-familiar truck pull up to the side. Shit. Victoria quickly ducks slightly and positions herself closer to the wall she was just leaning against, praying the shadows and darkness will keep her out of sight. From her spot, Victoria can see Rachel and Chloe sat talking in the truck. The distance is too far for her to hear anything, though. After what she heard earlier, she's sort of thankful she can't hear them now. Victoria doesn't know how many more shocking discoveries she can take.

Rachel is out of the truck now and is slowly making her way near towards where Victoria is stood half-crouching. She quietly shuffles further to the side, hoping to put more distance between herself and the path Rachel is walking on towards the dorms. It seems to work, Rachel isn't paying much attention, anyway. Her head is lowered as she walks. Victoria sneaks a closer look at her and catches Rachel lifting her hand to her face, wiping away... Tears? Victoria isn't sure, it's too dark to really tell. Rachel keeps walking and soon enough, she's made her way past Victoria and is turning the corner towards the dorms.

Victoria breathes a sigh of relief and looks out towards the road again. Chloe's still there. The lighting from the streetlight is enough for Victoria to see that Chloe's definitely crying. Victoria keeps her eyes on Chloe. She feels something watching her cry, but again, she's not sure what it is. All she knows is that it's not a good feeling.

Victoria doesn't have much time to think on it when she sees Chloe suddenly punch her steering wheel and hears the faint sound of her screaming into her hands.

Seeing that, Victoria's heart sinks and she loses her footing slightly, causing her to tumble forward and into plain view. Shit. She quickly hoists herself up and moves back, but it's too late.

Chloe is sat staring in her direction, her face twisting from one of anguish, to one of anger.

Victoria's heart altogether stops beating for a second, before she quickly turns and starts making her way back to the dorms. Not now. She can't deal with this right now. As she picks up her pace, she prays Chloe isn't going to come out and confront her.

Relief quickly washes over her when she hears the screech of tires and the sounds of the truck growing quieter in the distance.

Her plan has worked. The stitches are looser. They're ripping apart.

So... Why isn't she happy about it?

Why are there tears falling down the side of her face now, too?

. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ..

Stashing away her cigarettes in a drawer, Victoria makes her way over to her mirror where she checks her make-up and clears away any sign of her crying. Feeling confident again, she picks up her phone and pulls up her messages.

She sighs to herself before she begins to type.

Victoria: Come see me.

Never a request, always a demand. Victoria has never been one for politeness and she's painfully aware of it. Her abrupt and rude nature has often bitten her in the ass in the past. Being nice to people isn't one of her strong suits. Victoria has tried, however, and does try. Sometimes. But, it takes a lot for her to do so and that's something she's never really understood, either. She still doesn't.

There's a lot Victoria doesn't understand and they're mainly things about herself. That's why she likes to study and understand other things, instead. Well, as long as those subjects interest her, of course. Photography is her favourite and she's always reading up on it. A part of her does it so she can impress her teacher, Mark Jefferson. He's hot and Victoria likes to make good impressions towards those she sees as having an equal level of class to her. But, a bigger part of her studies and reads up on things so she finally feels like she can understand something... Even if it's not herself. Sort of like, her self-awareness is seriously lacking, but at least her awareness in other subjects isn't.

Victoria never lets on, though. She refuses to show any ounce of vulnerability or weakness. To anyone. Ever.

Until now.

A timid knock at her door snaps Victoria out of her thoughts.

"Come in," Victoria calls, whilst turning and making her way over to the sofa where she sits, crossing her legs.

The door slowly opens and a tall, blonde haired girl with blue eyes and a discouraged look on her face steps into the room.

"Hey..." Taylor says, eyeing up the room, with one arm crossed over her chest, holding onto the other, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, you don't have to look so scared," Victoria snaps, causing Taylor to flinch slightly. Seeing this, Victoria makes a conscious effort and softens her tone, "You haven't done anything wrong, silly."

"Oh," Taylor breathes out a small sigh, the tension lifting off her face and shoulders at Victoria's words.

"Come, sit down," Victoria says, patting the seat next to her on the sofa and uncrossing her legs.

Taylor hesitates briefly, before smiling and walking over to the sofa and sitting down next to Victoria. Victoria shifts her position so she's facing Taylor and leaning back slightly on the armrest.

"How's your Mom?"

"She's okay, I guess. Doctor's said she may need surgery, though," Taylor says, looking down in her lap, where she anxiously starts to tug at a loose thread on her skirt.

"Oh," Victoria says as Taylor looks up to meet her gaze briefly, before dropping it again. Victoria notices she's misty-eyed. "I'm sorry," Victoria blurts, a hint of a blush forming on her face as she does.

Hearing this, Taylor snaps her head up to look at Victoria again, her eyebrows raised in shock.

"Thanks," Taylor says, flashing a much more genuine and relaxed smile at Victoria.

Victoria sighs, before standing and making her way towards her desk. Situations like this always make her feel uncomfortable. She's never been close to her own parents, so she never knows what to say to those who are and have things like this happen to them. But, whatever the case, she can't help but feel more at ease after seeing Taylor smile at her. Taylor knows it's not easy for Victoria.

Retrieving a small pair of scissors from her desk, Victoria turns and makes her way back to Taylor, resuming her place next to her on the sofa. Taylor's looking down in her lap again and restlessly tugging at the loose thread still. It makes Victoria feel anxious watching her.

Leaning forward, Victoria places a hand over Taylor's, causing the girl to stop and look up at her in confusion. Victoria flashes a brief smile, before moving Taylor's hand and using the scissors in her other to cut the thread off.

"You'll ruin it," Victoria says with monotony.

"Oh, yeah, thanks," Taylor says, shifting her position slightly so she's sat on her hands instead.

Victoria places the scissors down on the coffee table in front of them and leans back to face Taylor again. Victoria seems at a loss for words. She knows what she wants to ask, but she's never done this before and the words are simply failing her. 'Shit,' she thinks, blushing slightly again.

Taylor notices Victoria's hesitation and raises an eyebrow in her direction, "Everything okay, V?"

Victoria clears her throat and shakes her head, "Erm, yeah. I just..."

Taylor doesn't respond, instead choosing to wait for Victoria to carry on and finish whatever it is she's trying to start.

"Can I ask you something?"

Taylor smiles a reassuring smile and nods.

"What does it.." Victoria hesitates again, "feel like to... like someone?"

A serious look replaces the smile on Taylor's face. "Erm, it depends, I guess?"

"On what?"

"In what way you like them."

"I don't know," Victoria snaps, feeling her frustration building again.

Taylor doesn't react. She can sense that Victoria is struggling with something, so instead she reaches over and places her hand over Victoria's which is resting on her knee. The sudden contact makes Victoria flinch slightly, but she doesn't move her hand away from under Taylor's.

"It's okay, V, you can talk to me about anything. I won't tell anyone," Taylor says, a reassuring smile forming on her face once more.

Victoria sighs and leans back, subconsciously twisting her palm to face upwards and meet Taylor's, her fingers curling slightly around it.

"I guess I mean like them as in, like, like them," Victoria mumbles, a more obvious blush forming on her face. She can feel the heat rising from it and if she could, she'd punch herself for it. This is too fucking embarrassing, but it's happening now, so she may as well ride it out.

"Oh," Taylor says, giving Victoria's hand a gentle squeeze, "well..."

"Ugh, this is stupid," Victoria scoffs, moving her hand away from Taylor's, before standing up and pacing the room.

Before Taylor has a chance to respond, Victoria continues. "It's not like I'm some virgin loser or anything. I just... I've never really felt anything for anyone... Ever."

Victoria audibly sighs, before turning to face away from Taylor. Her brows furrow as she firmly rests her hands on her hips and cocks her head to the side. Taylor stands and approaches Victoria, tentatively placing a hand on her shoulder.

"That's okay, I guess we all have to start somewhere, right?" Taylor asks, squeezing Victoria's shoulder.

"I guess," Victoria breathes out after feeling Taylor squeeze her shoulder. She hadn't noticed she was holding her breath from Taylor's touch. "Fuck, I need a drink, though. Want one?"

"No, I'm good, thanks," Taylor says, removing her hand from Victoria's shoulder and making her way back to the sofa to sit down.

After getting her wine and glass from her usual stashing place, Victoria sits back down next to Taylor and pours herself a glass, before taking a sip.

Much better.

"So, you think you like someone, huh?"

"I have no idea," Victoria snorts, taking a larger sip this time, seeming visibly more relaxed now.

"Well, usually when you like someone, you can't stop thinking about them."

"Huh," Victoria mumbles.

Check. Double check. Triple fucking check. Chloe hasn't left her mind since the last time she saw her. Is that why?

"What else?" Victoria asks, finishing off her drink.

"When you think about them, you usually feel things. Nice things. Good things."

"Such as?" Victoria presses, filling her glass a second time.

"I don't know... Happy? Content?"

"What about horny?" Victoria blurts.

"Oh, uh... That, too, yeah," Taylor blushes.

That one Victoria has no trouble realising and understanding. She doesn't understand WHY Chloe Price of all fucking people, but she knows horny and she feels it often when she thinks of her.

"Anything else?"

"Uh... I guess you end up liking things that they like or liking things about them that they do or say."

Victoria's mind wanders to the cigarettes stashed away in her drawer.

"What about their smell?" Victoria asks, risking a side glance at Taylor, before taking another sip.

"Yeah, it's normal to like their smell, too," Taylor giggles.

"Ugh," Victoria scoffs.

Taylor smiles and pats Victoria on the back.

"What's that feeling you get when you see them kissing someone else?"

"Erm... What does the feeling feel like?" Taylor asks, her face turning serious again.

"I don't know. Like a weird pain in your chest."

"Oh," Taylor nods, "that's jealousy."

Hearing this, Victoria erupts into a fit of laughter. Jealousy? Is this bitch for real? Victoria Chase jealous? Over Rachel fucking Amber kissing Chloe fucking Price?! Please! Victoria Chase doesn't get jealous of anyone or anything. Ever.

Or does she?

Images of Rachel and Chloe's kiss flash through Victoria's mind and she feels it again. That pang. It catches Victoria off guard and she chokes on her laughter, causing her face to redden and her body to lurch forward slightly.

Shit.

Victoria stops laughing and instead downs the rest of her wine in one go. Taylor's still shocked over her friend's sudden fit, but she moves over closer and rubs Victoria's back regardless.

"Are you okay?" Taylor asks, looking down at Victoria who's leaning forward with her elbows rested on her knees.

"I'm fine," Victoria snaps, sitting up suddenly and shrugging Taylor's hand away from her.

"Okay," Taylor sighs, placing her hands in her lap.

"When you see a person you like crying and shit, how does that make you feel?" Victoria asks, looking down at her empty glass and stroking her finger over the rim.

"Who? Me personally?"

"Yes, you."

"Oh well, I feel sad seeing them sad."

"So, you don't feel happy about it?"

The question stumps Taylor for a second and her face twists into one of confusion. "Erm, no, why would I feel happy about that?"

"I don't fucking know," Victoria scoffs.

"Okay. Well, no, I wouldn't feel happy seeing the person I like... cry," Taylor retorts, shaking her head slightly.

Victoria shoots Taylor a serious look, her brows furrowing again.

"Sorry," Taylor mumbles, fumbling with her hands anxiously in her lap and looking down from Victoria's gaze.

Victoria sighs. Taylor is trying her best and she's being her usual bitchy self. Maybe this is why Victoria has never taken the time to learn things about herself and her feelings... It fucking sucks.

"No," Victoria mutters, "I am. I know I'm a bitch."

It's not often Victoria feels sorry. In fact, it's not often Victoria acknowledges she's done something to feel sorry about. But she knows Taylor is good to her and the least she can do is try and be good in return.

"You're not a bitch, Victoria."

Chloe's words to Victoria echo through her mind.

Karma's a bitch and so are you.

"I am," Victoria sighs, before turning to face Taylor, "but it's okay."

"Well I don't think you are," Taylor fires back.

"Why?"

"You're the only one who really asks how my Mom's doing."

Victoria never asks Taylor about her Mom because she genuinely cares to know. No, she asks out of habit and out of knowing that that's just one of those things you ask about when it comes to friends. When it comes to people you don't hate with every fibre of your being. When it comes to people you... Care about, maybe? Nevertheless, Victoria asking Taylor about her Mom makes a difference to her. A positive one. It makes her feel cared about. So, it doesn't matter that Victoria doesn't really care to know, as long as she actually asks.

"Oh," Victoria mumbles, "must suck to only have the Queen Bitch of Blackwell ask about her."

"Not really," Taylor smiles, "because like I said, I don't think you're a bitch."

"But I'm not nice to people. I-"

"I know you can be, though," Taylor interjects, before reaching a hand over to Victoria's, only to stop it short and place it back in her lap instead.

Victoria's face morphs into one of confusion, yet again. Sure, she wasn't the sort to go around murdering people and kicking puppies, but she wasn't exactly eager to serve slop to the homeless off the street or shit to that effect, either.

"It's getting late," Victoria says, standing up from her seat.

"Oh, right, yeah.." Taylor responds, mimicking Victoria by standing up, too.

"Thanks for the talk," Victoria sighs, before moving over towards the door.

"No problem. Sorry, I wasn't much help," Taylor smiles, following Victoria to where she's stood.

Victoria isn't certain of what to do or say next, but her mouth speaks for her before her brain can come up with something. "I hope your Mom feels better soon, Taylor."

Hearing Victoria's words, Taylor smiles and throws her arms around Victoria in a hug.

Victoria doesn't know how to react, but she knows not to push Taylor off of her. She chooses to awkwardly pat Taylor's back with one hand.

"I hope things go well with this mystery person you like," Taylor mutters over Victoria's shoulder.

Victoria pulls away to look at Taylor.

"I don't like anyone and we never had this discussion," Victoria says coldly, her gaze serious and unwavering from Taylor's.

Taylor just smiles and nods her head, before opening the door to Victoria's room and leaving.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rachel Amber is lying on her bed in the pitch black of her dorm room. Thoughts haven't stopped racing through her mind since Chloe dropped her off earlier. The tears haven't either.

Holding her pillow tighter to her, Rachel recounts her past.

From the moment Rachel met Chloe, her life became a drama. One she was no longer acting on a stage, but that she was actually living. One that hadn't come with rehearsal.

One that hasn't even finished yet.

Meeting Chloe Price is single-handedly one of the best things to ever happen to Rachel.

And single-handedly the most complicated and chaotic thing, too.

Through no direct fault of their own. It's just the way things played out. The way things are still playing out.

The need to escape it all hasn't stopped growing since. If anything, it's grown tenfold. Rachel's beginning to feel desperate. The life waiting for her in LA won't stop calling out to her.

And as much as it pains her... It's a life she's beginning to no longer picture with Chloe.

It started out that way, initially. When they first met, they'd both agreed to it. Together.

But now, Rachel is no longer feeling what she once felt. She hasn't ever since she found out the truth about her biological mother, Sera.

Chloe had found her. Had spoken to her. Chloe had learned the truth about Rachel's father. About Rachel's life. In entirety. Chloe chose to keep it from her. Why?

Chloe had tried to explain. Apparently, it was Sera's bidding. That they both wanted to protect Rachel from the truth. But, Rachel wasn't so sure. Part of her still isn't. However, she also knows Chloe wouldn't do something to intentionally hurt her. Chloe had spoken about feeling conflicted in the moment.. That no matter what she chose, Rachel would end up hurt either way. After weeks of fallout, Rachel found herself seeing why Chloe did what she did and almost understanding it. Almost.

But the unwavering trust she once held for Chloe was no longer what it once was.

Chloe begged and pleaded with Rachel. She explained that she had never once lied to her or hidden anything else from her. Chloe said she'd do anything to prove it to Rachel. Rachel had told her to eat a worm she found in the dirt. Chloe didn't even hesitate. But, Rachel was quick to slap it out of her hand before she could, regardless.

Rachel believed her. But, just because Chloe hadn't lied about anything else, didn't mean she wasn't capable of lying about something in the future. That's what Rachel's concern was. That's what led to her asking they simply remain friends instead. Rachel couldn't continue a relationship with that itching in the back of her mind. It wasn't fair to her or to Chloe.

Plus, with the truth, came the destruction of Rachel's family life. Life had been turned upside down and even if she had wanted to, Rachel was too preoccupied to focus her attention on maintaining a relationship with Chloe.

It was all so hard and confusing. It still is.

Earlier today, Chloe had admitted to still loving Rachel. To being in love with her. Rachel wasn't surprised at hearing the words. She was surprised at not being able to say them in return. Not in the way Chloe was saying them, at least.

Rachel loves Chloe dearly. Without a doubt. But, she's not IN love with her. Not anymore.

Realising this, Rachel feels her heart sink. Everything has changed and she's completely done with it all. She's too close to the end of senior year to leave now, but come graduation, she's out of here.

Without Chloe.

As much as Rachel is going to miss her, she simply can't keep dragging her along. Chloe deserves to move on and find someone who can give her what she needs. Rachel isn't a saint. No one is. But she knows it would be selfish of her to keep leading Chloe on. To keep her believing in something that isn't going to happen. Rachel knows she has to let her go.

But, she's scared.

Chloe means the world to her and living in one without her in it will feel strange. They do everything together. Talk about everything together... Well, almost everything. And just because she doesn't know if she can trust her with the truth anymore, doesn't mean she doesn't trust her with other things. Like her life.

The scar on Rachel's arm itches slightly at this. Images of Damon stabbing her flash through her mind, along with the fear on Chloe's face and the panic in her voice as she rushed Rachel to the hospital.

Rachel sighs and rolls over to lie on her other side, the pillow still clutched to her chest.

A life without Chloe in it isn't the only reason Rachel's scared. She can't help but wonder what Chloe's life will become without her there. Rachel hopes Chloe will stay strong and move on. But, she knows Chloe has been abandoned before and she didn't do so well with it. Rachel had saved her from that abandonment... From that loneliness. Rachel can't help but hope someone will be able to do that again for Chloe once she leaves. Chloe deserves happiness. She deserves the best in life. Rachel would never want to see her unhappy or without purpose. She would never want to see Chloe hurting and alone.

That's why she didn't really react when finding out about Victoria and Chloe.

Rachel hates that bitch with a passion. But, what if she could provide the comfort Chloe is going to need once she leaves for LA? It's a long shot, for sure. Rachel can't imagine Victoria having a compassionate bone in her body. But, she's hopeful nonetheless. After all, it's Chloe. Who can't help but fall for that girl? Perhaps there's a soft side underneath Victoria's bitch exterior that can shine through for Chloe. Be the light to guide her during the darkness and all that shit.

"Ugh," Rachel scoffs to herself.

Victoria fucking Chase being nice seems an impossibility to Rachel. But, the impossible has a way of happening sometimes. Rachel would much rather have seen Chloe getting close to literally anyone fucking else. But, alas, beggars can't be choosers.

It hurts Rachel to know she's going to be someone to hurt Chloe. It's for the best, though. For Chloe's best interests, right?

"Shit," Rachel mutters, the pieces starting to slot together.

Rachel is planning on doing the same to Chloe that Chloe did to her. She's choosing to protect her from the truth.

From herself.

Rachel realises that... Whether she takes Chloe with her or leaves her behind, Chloe will wind up hurt, regardless.

Chloe wants Rachel and a life with her in LA. Rachel wants... Well, she's not sure yet. But Chloe isn't one of those things. Not in the way Chloe wants her that is. The future Rachel pictures is one that's so different to the one Chloe will be picturing.

Tears start to prick at the corner of Rachel's eyes and she wipes them away angrily, frustration evident on her face.

She shouldn't have made it worse by having sex with Chloe again after so long of doing well to keep things friendly.

That realisation had hit her earlier, after waking up in Chloe's arms. Chloe had been snoring lightly, a peaceful expression plastered on her face. Rachel couldn't help but smile when she saw it. But, the guilt quickly worked its way to the surface. She didn't deserve it. Chloe's love. She didn't deserve something so pure and beautiful. Not when she couldn't return it. Rachel had cursed her hormones for getting the better of her. She even cursed Chloe... For being, well, Chloe!

Rachel had shifted from Chloe's hold and gotten dressed. Chloe was a deep sleeper, so she didn't have to worry about waking her.

Not only is Chloe a deep sleeper, she also dreams. A lot. She always has.

And Rachel often got glimpses of them when Chloe spoke in her sleep during them. Or shouted.

Rachel hadn't been awake or dressed for long before Chloe started earlier. Another dream about Max.

Max Caulfield.

Rachel has never met her, but she feels like she knows her. Chloe went through a period where she would often bring Max up in their conversations. Rachel, at the time, couldn't help but feel jealous. Part of her still does. Max was clearly very important to Chloe... She still is. It's been five years and Chloe still dreams of her. Despite the jealousy, though, Rachel would still sit and listen to Chloe when she talked about her. It was sweet to see Chloe's face light up, even for a second, at a memory she had of Max.

Rachel can't help but wonder if Chloe will think and speak of her so much once she's gone. She hopes that if she does, whoever is the one listening to her actually listens to her. And she hopes they see Chloe's face light up at the memory. Kind of selfish to think, but Rachel doesn't care. She knows that wherever she ends up, she will always cherish and smile at the good times she had with Chloe.

Not long after meeting her, Chloe had admitted to having kept unsent letters to Max for ages. Rachel had asked if she had eventually sent them. Chloe had simply shook her head and said she did an 'Amber' on them, laughing as she did. An inside joke between the two. The letters were burnt and the ashes buried, basically.

Before admitting that to her, Chloe hadn't really mentioned or spoken about Max. But, part of Rachel thinks that ever since Chloe stopped writing the letters, Max had instead started to enter her thoughts and dreams more. Almost as if no part of Chloe, be it conscious or subconscious, would allow her to forget the girl and move on.

Rachel can recall so many nights where she sat up and watched Chloe dream. Listening to her mumble in her sleep. Some nights were dreams of William, others of Max. Sometimes both of them in one dream.

It quickly became abundantly clear to Rachel that Chloe felt something for Max that went beyond simple friendship. However... It also became abundantly clear that Chloe herself hadn't realised this. And still hasn't.

The jealous side to Rachel never let herself ask or prod about it, anyway. Rachel's realisation without Chloe's confirmation was enough. That's not to say that she ever doubted Chloe's love for her. Max was just a part of Chloe's past. Rachel had been her present... Was still her present.

Despite the jealous side, Rachel still found herself wondering about Max. Whether they'd get on if they were to meet. Chloe is convinced they would. Rachel isn't so sure. And again, despite it all, she hopes Chloe will find peace with it all, with or without Max.

Rachel, at first, couldn't help but feel slightly angry (but mainly confused) that Max would abandon Chloe like that. But...Now? Who was she to talk, really? At least Max had the excuse of being thirteen and not having a choice in the matter. Rachel doesn't really have one, either, but Chloe wouldn't see it like that. Just how she hadn't seen it like that with Max.

So it's fair to say, Rachel's scared. A part of her even hopes Max comes back and makes an appearance in Chloe's life again. Chloe has said some things whilst angry about Max, things she ends up feeling remorseful about, even if she won't admit it. It's clear Chloe still misses her. Rachel knows that Chloe would get over herself if Max was to return. Because that's Chloe. A hard and rough exterior that hides a shit tonne of mush underneath.

Rachel smiles at the thought, before sighing and sitting up. She reaches to her bedside table and checks the time on her phone. Shit, it's getting late.

Moving over to the edge of the bed, Rachel places her feet on the floor and leans over to switch on her bedside light. The sudden bright light after being in darkness for so long causes Rachel to quickly snap her eyes shut.

After taking a moment to adjust to the light in the room, Rachel makes her way over to her wardrobe where she retrieves some pyjamas, a towel and her bathroom supplies.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The hot water on her body feels good as it washes away the day, bringing with it a moment of serenity for Rachel. All that drama from her fight with Chloe, the sex, the crying... It has left her feeling exhausted. Mentally, emotionally and physically. Nothing fixes that better than a steaming hot shower.

Turning the shower off, Rachel reaches for her towel and starts to pat and wipe herself dry, before bringing the towel to her face and breathing in deeply. She can smell her jasmine scented shampoo, which always helps relax her more.

As she's putting her pyjamas on in her shower cubicle, Rachel hears someone enter the bathroom. Shoving her dirty clothes into her laundry bag with her bathroom supplies, Rachel steps out of her cubicle.

And is greeted with Victoria Chase.

Victoria doesn't notice Rachel at first, she's too preoccupied with applying toothpaste to her toothbrush. But Rachel still needs to brush her teeth, too.

Rachel takes some steps towards the sinks, casting a quick side glance at Victoria as she does. Victoria jumps slightly at the sudden sight of Rachel standing next to her. Her face blushes slightly, but she doesn't say anything, her mouth now preoccupied with her toothbrush in it.

Rachel smirks at seeing Victoria jump and blush, before proceeding to brush her teeth, too. Both girls stand in silence, save for the sounds of toothbrushes scratching against teeth. Rachel keeps glancing up at Victoria's reflection in the mirrors, trying to catch her gaze. But Victoria is avoiding it.

Weird.

Usually both girls take the time to shoot daggers at each other. It's almost routine by this point.

Rachel thinks this might be the perfect opportunity to let Victoria in on her knowing about her and Chloe's little escapades. Maybe she can use Victoria's more subdued attitude tonight to her advantage.

Victoria has finished brushing her teeth now and is quickly applying face cream. She's eager to get out of Rachel's presence, especially after today.

Rachel quickly spits and rinses the toothpaste lather from her mouth as she catches Victoria turning to leave.

"Don't hurt her," Rachel says, her voice clear and confident, with Victoria's back to her.

"Erm... Excuse me?" Victoria scoffs, refusing to turn around and confront Rachel head on.

"You heard me," Rachel says cooly, before picking up her things.

Victoria stays silent, but she's still frozen in place, her body still not moving to face Rachel. Unbeknownst to Rachel, she's actually shitting her pants. Rachel set a fucking forest fire after all.

Rachel makes her way towards Victoria, stopping to turn and face her.

"You did hear me, right?" Rachel asks, her eyes locking with Victoria's.

"I heard you," Victoria snaps, her brows furrowing at Rachel.

"Good, because if you so much as hurt a hair on her head, you'll fucking regret it, Chase. Am I making myself fucking clear?" Rachel threatens, as her brows furrow in return and her eyes burn into Victoria's.

Victoria can almost see fire in the girl's eyes. She's really not joking around. Shit.

Victoria does what Victoria does best and simply gives Rachel her best bitch smile, before barging past her.

"Whatthefuckever," Victoria cackles, as she makes her exit from the bathroom.

Rachel smiles, knowing she got through to Victoria after seeing a fleeting hint of fear in her eyes.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Back in her dorm room, Rachel lies back down and gets under the covers on her bed.

Bzz bzz.

Her phone vibrates, alerting her to a new message. Rolling over, Rachel grabs her phone and pulls up her messages.

M: Excellent work today. You're improving. I think we should continue meeting one-on-one to discuss your work further.

Rachel smiles at her screen and quickly types out her reply.

Rachel: Sure, I'd love to. Thanks again for everything.

With the message sent, Rachel sets an alarm on her phone and gets comfortable. Within minutes, she's asleep and dreaming of LA.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

It's a Friday evening and Chloe is still sat staring at her laptop screen, unmoving and lost in her thoughts.

It's been a couple of days since her fight with Rachel and things have seemingly returned to normal. Chloe had spent the better part of the day with her and there's no longer any tension between them. It had been a little awkward at first because of how they had left off after their argument... But, it didn't take them long to fall back into the usual swing of things, having decided to spend their time together at Rachel's house, re-dyeing Chloe's hair whilst listening to music.

Rachel had reminded Chloe at the time that she's going out of town for the weekend, visiting family. Chloe had tensed up when Rachel brought it up, but Rachel quickly reassured her that she'd had this planned for weeks now and had told Chloe about it before. Chloe quickly relaxed when she vaguely recalled Rachel having mentioned it to her some time ago, quashing the paranoia that had brought their fight to fruition in the first place.

Chloe believed Rachel after their fight and still does, but a small part of her brain won't seem to let it go. She's just grateful it's no longer at the forefront of her mind, giving her away to Rachel and making things awkward and weird again.

Rachel had started packing not long after and an altogether different feeling had replaced the paranoia...

Jealousy.

Rachel is currently on her way to visit family close to Seattle. Whilst Chloe... Chloe is sat staring at her screen, wishing she was anywhere but here. Like Rachel, she has some family outside of town, but none she can just up and visit... Not that they've ever really invited her to. After her dad had died, relatives would come and go and her Uncle Aaron had even taken Chloe and Joyce on a trip to get away for a bit. But Aaron is a busy man with a family of his own, so it didn't really last long. He still did his best to visit at least once a year, though, always being sure to send Chloe and Joyce cards on their birthdays, too. Aaron is a lot like William and Chloe enjoys her time with him when he visits. On his last visit, he'd told Chloe that David is a real shitbag when it was just the two of them, after David had scolded her for swearing. Chloe had laughed, genuinely, for the first time with someone that wasn't Rachel. She was sad to see Aaron go, wishing he didn't have to, but he promised he'd stay in touch and visit again when he could.

Chloe sighs and shifts in her seat, before lighting the cigarette that's been dangling from her mouth for the past ten minutes, whilst her ass grew even more numb.

Taking a drag and feeling that familiar burn on her inhale, Chloe focuses her attention back to the screen, the mouse still hovering over the 'Add Friend' button.

Max Caulfield.

It's times like these that Chloe finds herself missing Max the most. When Rachel is gone and Chloe is left alone with her thoughts and uncertainty about her future. Uncertainty about anything and everything...

Chloe yearns for familiarity, for the past... For simpler times. Times when things were good and she was certain, she was happy and felt wanted. Felt loved...

But so much has changed, even Max herself. She no longer sports long hair pushed back into a ponytail. It's now short and barely touching her shoulders, with bangs covering her forehead and some of her freckles. Her sense in fashion hasn't changed all that much, though. Generic t-shirts and jeans seem to still be her forte, but she's still no longer Max under the somewhat familiar exterior... It pains Chloe to think it, but she's a...

"Stranger," Chloe mutters out loud, before angrily sighing to herself and taking another drag.

Chloe shifts again and leans forward, placing her elbows on her desk and her head in the palm of her hands, careful not to burn herself with the cigarette that's balancing between her left index and middle finger.

Chloe's face grows more intense as she stares back at Max's face in the picture. She was tagged in it a couple of days ago by some boy called Fernando, who Chloe assumes is also the one sat next to her in it. But he's nothing but a blur to Chloe now, her eyes slowly tracing over Max's features instead. Dark blue eyes, surrounded by a clusterfuck of freckles... Max's smile, whilst shy and timid, is yet still beautiful. Chloe's eyes linger over Max's lips briefly, before an uncomfortable feeling rises in her chest, snapping Chloe back to reality.

"Fuck," Chloe mumbles, quickly reaching a hand down to move the mouse and close down her browser.

Before Max had left for Seattle, Chloe had found herself feeling something for the smaller girl, but she was never sure of what it was exactly. It was an alien sort of feeling, one she had never felt before, but... It was nice, too. It felt warm and fuzzy. It made her smile, too, especially when Max was around her, as opposed to just in her thoughts. But, with the death of her dad and Max suddenly leaving, Chloe had never gotten a chance to fully explore the feeling and it didn't return until much later.

When she met Rachel.

That's when it dawned on her that she had had feelings for Max beyond those of friendship as a young teen. Chloe hadn't dwelled on the realisation for too long, though, with Rachel distracting her as well as Chloe's growing feelings for her instead.

It was only a few days after meeting Rachel properly for the first time, that Chloe stopped writing unsent letters to Max, opting to burn them instead and move forward with her life. Things had been good after that, simple even. Happy... But lately, Chloe's dreams have been haunted more and more frequently by her long, lost friend. Sometimes Chloe wakes up remembering every detail, other times, she doesn't remember a thing. Her most recent dreams with Max have often left her waking up in a panic, with sweat dripping down her face. Chloe always remembers those ones. The settings change, but usually they consist of Max and herself chasing each other, trying to reach one another, but never being able to. Almost as if something is keeping them apart, despite their desperate pleas and want to finally come together again. To be a team again. The more real the dream feels, the more sweaty and panicked Chloe is when she suddenly jerks awake, startled and gasping for breath.

With these confusing and recurring dreams on her mind, coupled with Rachel's recent departure, it was no surprise that Chloe had found herself staring at Max's social media page, trying to find the courage to add her or maybe even send a message. But, alas, too much time has passed and so much has changed, Chloe doesn't even know if Max even remembers her, let alone thinks or dreams of her, too.

"FUCK, ARGH!" Chloe yells, before quickly discarding the butt of her cigarette in her ashtray and sticking her fingers in her mouth.

Chloe had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realised the cigarette had burnt right down to her fingers, effectively burning her when she finally lifted it to her mouth to take a drag.

Standing from her seat, Chloe moves over to the edge of her bed and falls back onto it, her fingers still being soothed over with her tongue and the saliva in her mouth. It's not even that late, but she finds her eyelids growing slightly heavy.

Before sleep can claim her, though, Chloe is rudely disrupted by loud music ringing out from her now vibrating pocket.

"Ugh," Chloe groans, pulling her phone out to look at who's calling, "fucking Frank."

She lets it ring for another couple of seconds before answering.

"What?"

"Real fucking charming, Price," Frank scoffs on the other end.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that was a bit abrupt of me. What I meant to say is 'what the fuck do you want?'" Chloe snaps, her patience at non-existent levels.

"I have a job for you and before you say anything, you still owe me after fucking up the last one. Meet me at our usual spot in half an hour."

Click. Frank hangs up before Chloe has the chance to protest.

"Well, fuck you very much, asshole," Chloe says into the dead receiver of her phone, before launching it across her bed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .

Pulling her jacket around her tightly, Chloe walks over to Frank's RV, her arms crossed against her chest, shielding her from the chilly evening air. Her footsteps are muffled by the sand under her boots and the sound of the crashing waves nearby. Chloe can hear loud and obnoxious metal music blasting from Frank's RV in the short distance.

Reaching Frank's RV door, Chloe pulls out her phone and types out a quick message, letting Frank know she's outside. Knocking would be useless with how loud his music is.

A sudden sea breeze sends shivers down her body, making her teeth chatter slightly and her feet start shuffling in attempts to get warm.

"Hurry the fuck up, you-" Chloe starts to say, before hearing the music volume being turned down slightly and approaching footsteps towards the door.

"You're late, Price," Frank says as he throws open the RV door and steps outside, closing it behind him.

"Fuck you, dude, I'm here" Chloe scoffs, flipping Frank the finger.

Frank grunts and makes his way over to his usual beer-drinking chair with a beer already in hand. Chloe takes the time to remove a cigarette from her pack and light it, whilst watching Frank take a long sip from his beer and shuffle his ass in his seat.

"I need you to go to Blackwell tonight. Someone owes me," Frank finally says, shifting his attention towards Chloe.

"Well, shit, isn't that usually the case?" Chloe smirks, taking a drag from her cigarette.

"Whilst you're there, I need you to drop off some party supplies for me, too."

Frank takes another swig from his beer and reaches into his pocket with his free hand, revealing his trusty client book and a bag.

"Can I ask why the fuck you can't do this?" Chloe scoffs, leaning back against the side of the RV.

"No. Mind your own fucking business, Price," Frank retorts, opening up his client book, "Plus, I've already told you before that it's easier for someone like you to be on campus than it is for me."

"Whatever," Chloe grunts, taking a final drag from her cigarette, before dropping it and crushing it under her boot.

"Okay, so, Stella... That bitch owes me two hundred, plus fifty interest. You're dropping off to Victoria Chase, payment is three-fifty up-front, but she's always good for it."

At the mention of Victoria's name, Chloe audibly groans and rubs the back of her neck with her hand. Frank can't help but notice.

"What? Is there a problem?" Frank asks, picking up his beer again to take another swig, his brows furrowed and eyes staring into Chloe's as he does.

"Sort of, yeah," Chloe mumbles, choosing to look down at the ground instead.

"Too fucking bad, Price, you owe me," Frank spits.

"What do I get out of this?"

"Isn't your life enough?"

"Not really."

"A hundred."

"Plus fifty interest, right?"

Frank snorts and shakes his head, "you fucking kids."

"Seems like you really need me right now and I could really do with some extra cash," Chloe says, with a serious face and a deadpan tone.

Frank shakes his head again, taking the final swig from his beer and tossing it over to a pile of empty bottles nearby on the sand.

"Fine, whatever, one-fifty, not a cent more. Understood?"

Chloe nods and walks over to Frank, her hand stretched out for the bag still in his.

Frank stands and gazes down at her, an almost threatening look in his eyes as he drops it in Chloe's hand.

"I want my money on Monday," Frank says, before turning to slowly make his way back to the RV door.

"Monday?" Chloe asks, pocketing the bag.

"Yeah, Monday. I'm going out of town for a couple of days," Frank says, without turning to look at Chloe.

"Erm... Okay," Chloe mumbles, turning to make her way back to the truck.

"Oh, and Price?"

"Yeah?" Chloe stops, turning to look back at Frank who now has one foot up and into the RV.

"Don't fuck this up. I expect to see it all there when I'm back."

Before Chloe has a chance to respond, Frank is back in his RV with the door shut. Seconds later, the music is back to its original volume.

As Chloe makes her way back to her truck, she swears she hears the faint laughter of a woman coming from inside the RV.

"Out of town, my ass," Chloe smirks, hopping into her truck.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Yoooo, if it isn't Chloe Price, Blackwell's most missed student," a blonde, shaggy haired boy with glasses calls out.

Chloe stops mid-walk to turn and see Justin and Trevor stood with their skateboards a few feet from the doors to the dormitories.

"Hey, Justin," Chloe smiles, holding her fist out for a bump.

"What are you doing here, dude?" Justin asks, bumping Chloe's fist with his own.

"Bidness," Chloe says, moving over to bump Trevor's out-stretched fist, too.

"Well, shit, that could mean anything with Chloe fucking Price!" Trevor laughs.

Chloe smirks and stands back a bit, observing the two (obviously) stoned guys before her.

"Chloe, it's been too long, dude! Where have you been?" Justin asks, his words coming out slowly.

"Oh, you know, here and there," Chloe shrugs, sticking her hands into her pockets and kicking at an imaginary stone on the ground.

"We've missed you, man," Trevor cuts in.

"Totally!" Justin adds.

"I haven't exactly gone far, guys," Chloe laughs awkwardly, rocking on the heels of her boots, her hands still firmly in her pockets.

"Whatever, dude. You should totally come hang with us at this house party tomorrow," Justin says, removing a joint and a lighter from his pocket.

"Yeah, bunch of us are gonna be there," Trevor smiles, reaching into his pocket to retrieve a lighter for Justin, whose lighter is refusing to work.

"I don't know," Chloe sighs, shifting her gaze around the dormitory grounds. It's eerily quiet for a Friday night.

"Why? Have you got something better to be doing?" Justin asks, closing his eyes as he inhales.

Chloe takes a second to think about it, watching the small cloud of smoke form on the boy's exhale. Rachel's out of town, so, of course she has no plans.

"No, I guess not," Chloe responds.

"That settles it then," Trevor smirks, "we'll text you the details tomorrow."

"Ha, whatever, dude," Chloe shakes her head and smiles, "I've gotta go."

"Was good seeing you, dude," Justin smiles a goofy and high-induced grin.

"You, too, guys," Chloe says, holding her fist out once more for Trevor and Justin to bump.

"See you tomorrow," Trevor calls after Chloe, who's turned around and heading into the dorms.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Getting the money from Stella was easy enough. Chloe's height and appearance always intimidates the girl and it never takes Chloe any effort in convincing her to hand over what she owes.

No, the real struggle for Chloe, is having to make her way over to Victoria's room and having to finally confront her after everything.

"Just get in and get out, Chloe," Chloe mumbles to herself and sighs, her hand raised and ready to knock on Victoria's door.

Victoria is sat reading a book for Mr Jefferson's class when she suddenly hears a loud and unexpected knock at her door.

Victoria can't help rolling her eyes and sighing.

"Get lost!" Victoria shouts, returning her attention to her book, her mood not one that's eager for company.

The knocks continue, this time louder and more urgent.

"What the FUCK don't you understand about 'get lost'?!" Victoria snaps and yells, her brows furrowing.

"Jesus fucking Christ, just open the fucking door, Chase!" Chloe shouts through the door, banging her fist against it once more, but in anger this time.

Hearing Chloe's voice catches Victoria off guard and causes a weird sensation to form in the pit of her stomach.

Victoria is quick to shake off the feeling and stands to face her door, but before opening it, she shuffles over to the mirror and quickly goes over her appearance. Noticing her eyeliner is slightly smudged, she licks her finger and drags it across her bottom eyelid.

"Will you hurry the fuck up, already?!" Chloe shouts again, sighing so loud that even Victoria can hear it.

Victoria smirks at Chloe's charming nature and makes her way over to the door, swinging it open and being greeted by a very pissed-off-looking Chloe.

"Oh, Kari, it's you," Victoria says in a fake and forced enthused tone, smiling her best bitch smile.

"Cut the shit, Chase," Chloe scoffs, barging past her into her room.

"I wasn't expecting you," Victoria says, closing the door.

"I wasn't expecting to be here, either," Chloe snaps.

The sight of Victoria's face has brought back memories and feelings that Chloe doesn't want to have to deal with right now.

"Yet here you are," Victoria retorts, taking slow steps towards Chloe, her hands on her hips and her head cocked to the side in usual Victoria fashion.

Chloe grunts and reaches into her pocket retrieving the bag of party supplies, which she carelessly tosses over onto Victoria's table.

"Pay up, bitch," Chloe huffs, crossing her arms across her chest and cocking her own head to mirror Victoria's.

Victoria glances over to her table and notices the familiar packaging, before looking back at Chloe, who's now stood staring at Victoria, her icy blue eyes piercing into Victoria's own. It's a look that makes Victoria's insides tighten and stir like warm honey.

Victoria smirks and takes the last few steps towards Chloe, her gaze unwavering. Their faces now inches apart, Victoria leans up to whisper into Chloe's ear, who's still stood perfectly still, with her arms still crossed over her chest.

"What sort of payment?" Victoria asks in a sultry voice, nipping Chloe's ear as she does.

Chloe has lost every ounce of patience and quickly lifts her hands to shove Victoria back and away from her. Victoria almost loses her footing when she bumps her leg against the coffee table. Chloe doesn't care.

"The cash kind. Three-fifty," Chloe growls, crossing her arms once more, her brows furrowing in frustration.

Victoria didn't expect that reaction from Chloe, but after everything that's happened recently, she can't blame her for it, either. Instead, she just laughs and straightens out her shirt.

"Fine," Victoria says, moving over to her purse on the sofa.

Chloe nods and starts absentmindedly tapping her left foot, her restlessness a clear indicator to her lack of patience. Victoria retrieves three hundred dollar bills and a fifty from her purse, before turning and holding it out for Chloe to take.

Chloe smirks and quickly snatches it from Victoria's hand, not bothering to check it first as she pockets it. She turns to make her way towards the door when Victoria's voice stops her in her tracks.

"I'm sorry."

Chloe quickly twists to face Victoria, an eyebrow raised in shock and contemplation.

"Sorry for what, exactly?" Chloe snaps, meeting Victoria's gaze once more.

"For... I don't know, whatever," Victoria mumbles, averting her gaze to the floor instead.

Chloe laughs an unbelieving laugh, "you don't even know what you're sorry for?!"

Victoria stands up straight and meets Chloe's gaze again, but chooses to remain silent and wait to see how this plays out, instead. Her mouth had ran ahead of her brain once more when she found herself apologising to Chloe and now she really doesn't know what to say as a follow up. Victoria can't exactly let Chloe know she knows her and Rachel fought. But, Rachel's threat after their confrontation in the bathroom hasn't stopped playing over in her mind, either, making her question her previous behaviour towards the blue haired mess.

Chloe is visibly growing even more frustrated and starts shaking her head in disbelief.

"How about sorry for your bullshit mind games and lies?"

Victoria nods and her face softens, "yeah, for that and... For being such a bitch to you."

"Aww," Chloe coos insincerely, before scoffing and shaking her head some more, "well, apology not fucking accepted, Chase. Just stay the fuck away from me!"

Before Victoria has a chance to react or respond, Chloe's already turned away and heading out of the door, slamming it shut behind her with a loud bang that makes Victoria flinch slightly.

"Fuck," Victoria sighs, as she slowly sinks down onto the sofa, burying her face into her hands.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .

It's a much warmer night compared to the previous one, which Chloe is thankful for considering her chosen party attire. A thin, white, short-sleeved dress shirt, with black, ripped skinny jeans and black combat boots. Her jacket and beanie both left at home for once.

Chloe isn't far from her destination now, letting the music from the party guide her the towards the fast approaching house. Pulling up outside, she cuts the engine and sits back in her seat, observing the house where a party is being held in full swing.

It's a large house and Chloe quickly assumes it belongs to some elite, asshole kid that attends Blackwell and has unsuspecting parents away on business trips or vacationing for the weekend (because they can simply afford to).

The music is loud and Chloe can see some people dotted around out front, some drinking, some smoking and others in pairs, doing things probably best saved for somewhere more private, but who's Chloe to judge. Even the whoops and cheers from drunk party goers can be heard from inside the house. Then again, one of such size probably creates an echo. Not that the neighbours will mind, seen as the closest neighbouring house isn't close at all. The whole street is full of similar types of houses with plenty of land in-between them, making up a suburb that backs onto the edge of a forest. 'How fucking nice for some', Chloe thinks.

Sighing to herself, Chloe shifts in her seat and takes her phone out of her jeans pocket. She'd almost not bothered coming tonight, but step-douche was off for the night and he was being his usual unbearable self, making Chloe choose to instead be around rich assholes as opposed to him. At least here, Chloe could drink and try to forget.

Pulling up her messages, Chloe quickly types one out.

Chloe: Yo, Justin. Where are you?

After hitting send, Chloe scrolls down the list and types out another message as an after-thought.

Chloe: Hope you're having a nice time with the family.

Hitting send once more, Chloe leans her head back in her seat and closes her eyes, waiting. Less than a couple of minutes pass before her phone alerts her to a new message. Her heart sinks a little when she sees that it's Justin and not Rachel, even though Chloe's message to Rachel has been read.

Justin: yoooo chloe were in the kitchen dude. this place is massive tho so good luck finding it

Chloe laughs to herself and shakes her head at her screen.

Chloe: omw

Taking her keys from the ignition, Chloe swings open her door and hops out. Slamming it shut behind her, she quickly sticks her hands in her pockets and makes her way towards the house, her shoulders slightly hunched over as she passes some randoms she's never seen before in her life.

The atmosphere in the house is thick with humidity and the music is almost deafening. The overwhelming stench of booze, weed and body odour hits Chloe full force the further she wanders inside, in search of the kitchen. Drunk and/or high party goers bump into her as she does her best to wade through the sea of sweating and dancing bodies, none of them even noticing her as they do, despite her height.

Standing slightly on the tips of her toes, Chloe looks out and over people, managing to spot a small clearing that seems to lead into another room. With a few more shoves, she manages to reach it, ignoring the yells of a tall haired jock behind her that's cursing her out for spilling his beer. Instead, she simply throws up her middle finger without looking back and moves into the adjoining room.

The kitchen is much less busy and the music isn't quite as deafening as it was in the previous room, which Chloe now realises is where the DJ is set up.

"Chloe, you made it!"

Chloe turns to follow the voice addressing her and her eyes land on a very drunk Justin stood in the corner by a keg.

"Yo, Justin," Chloe laughs, watching as the boy sways slightly and misses her outstretched fist with his own.

"Close enough," Justin laughs, taking a drink from his red beer cup.

"Where is everyone?" Chloe asks, moving over to grab a cup and pouring herself a drink from the keg.

"Hell if I know," Justin slurs, "I think Trevor is drooling over Dana out back somewhere."

"Gotcha," Chloe smirks, taking a swig.

"Hey, where's Rachel? Isn't she usually at these things with you?" Justin asks, well, half-yells over the music.

"She's visiting family out of town," Chloe responds, scanning the room for anyone else she may recognise from her time at Blackwell.

"She's so hot," Justin admits, a dreamy look on his face.

Chloe barely registers what he just said, because her eyes have locked onto someone else's that's just entered the kitchen.

"Ugh," Chloe scoffs, "you didn't tell me Vortex Club assholes were going to be here."

Justin drunkenly follows Chloe's gaze and just about manages to make out a tall, short haired blonde girl standing with a few others.

"Well, yeah, they're always at parties."

Chloe grunts and takes another swig of her beer, her eyes still unwavering from Victoria's gaze.

Victoria is the first to look away, turning her attention to the long, blonde haired girl next to her.

"I need a cigarette, you coming?" Chloe asks, throwing a side glance at Justin.

"Sure," Justin says, before quickly topping off his drink from the keg.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The evening continues with Chloe standing awkwardly around a bunch of her former classmates and listening to their conversations. Sometimes, she'll laugh and try to join in with her own witty remarks to things, but for the most part she just stays silent and continues to drink. Admittedly, it has been humorous for her to watch both Justin and Trevor try and impress Dana, but for the most part, Chloe finds herself feeling alone. Even if she's physically not.

Their conversations are usually about other Blackwell students and goings on and Chloe has no idea what to say, with her no longer being a student. 'I wish Rachel was here,' Chloe thinks to herself. The current on-going chatter now boring her and making her wish she was drunk so it wouldn't matter so much.

Sighing, Chloe moves slightly towards the house, pulling out her phone as she does. Rachel still hasn't responded to her message, that she sent well over an hour ago now. 'Fuck this'.

"Yo, Chloe! Where you going?" Justin calls after her.

"To get another drink," Chloe says, barely turning to look at the boy.

"Can you get me one whilst you're in there?" Trevor asks.

"Sure," Chloe sighs, before stepping inside and letting the sea of people drown her again.

The kitchen is surprisingly dead compared to earlier. Chloe assumes most people have already passed out drunk or are too busy puking elsewhere to care for food and drink. Part of her envies them because she still feels excessively sober right now, despite being on her sixth drink.

Chloe's stood by the keg, pouring herself a drink when she hears people walk in behind her. She pays them no mind and continues pouring the drinks for her and Trevor.

"Nathan, for the last time, no!" Victoria snaps, shoving Nathan back against the kitchen counter.

"Come on, Vic, you wanted it last time," Nathan slurs, swaying slightly whilst grasping the edge of the counter to steady himself.

"No, not when you're like this."

Hearing Victoria and Nathan in the kitchen with her makes Chloe whip her head around to look at them. Nathan is cornering Victoria and making her look visibly uncomfortable, her arms crossed defensively across her chest.

"Fuck you, since when do you care?"

Victoria and Nathan haven't noticed Chloe stood feet away from them, both of them distracted by one another.

"Nathan, please, just have a drink of water or something," Victoria pleads, her face turning to one of concern.

Nathan ignores her and instead chooses to shove Victoria back against the wall, his grip on her arms and his face inching closer to her face.

"Nathan, for fuck's sake, let go!"

"No!" Nathan snaps, moving in to kiss Victoria's neck.

The look of pure anguish and discomfort on Victoria's face, whilst she tries to squirm and move away from Nathan's hold, ignites anger in Chloe, who's now taking steps towards them.

"Hey, asshole! She said no!" Chloe shouts, placing a hand onto Nathan's shoulder to spin him around, before throwing the drink in her hand at his face.

"What the FUCK?!" Nathan yells, swiping his hands over his face and looking up to meet Chloe's angry gaze.

"You're a fucking pig," Chloe spits.

"And you're going to fucking regret that, Price," Nathan snaps.

Before Chloe has a chance to process his words, Nathan quickly lurches forward, his forehead connecting with her face, effectively knocking her down to the floor. It all happens so fast, that even Victoria doesn't have time to react. Nathan kicks Chloe in her side and throws a punch down to her face, causing her to groan out in pain.

"Nathan!" Victoria shouts, snapping out of her short daze and grabbing his arms behind his back.

"Get off me, you bitch!" Nathan shouts, shoving Victoria away in order to continue his assault on Chloe, who's still rolling around in pain on the floor.

The sound of yelling must have drawn attention from others nearby and next thing, Nathan is being dragged away by two, tall jocks, who repeatedly tell him to calm down.

"Shit," Chloe groans, doing her best to sit up. She can feel something running down her face and onto her lips.

"You're bleeding," Victoria says, leaning down to face Chloe at her eye level.

Chloe looks up to meet her gaze, before turning her head to the side and spitting onto the floor, a red, thick liquid decorating the tiles.

"That's blood, alright," Chloe sniffs.

"Come on," Victoria says, offering her hand out for Chloe to take.

"I'm fine," Chloe growls, not forgetting that it's still Victoria fucking Chase.

Victoria sighs and stands to look down at Chloe silently, waiting on her next moves. Chloe shakes her head slightly, trying to focus her eyesight and stop the dizzy feeling being brought on. Reaching up, she grabs hold of the edge of the counter and lifts herself up... Or tries to. A sharp pain suddenly shoots through her mid-section where Nathan kicked her before and sends her flat on her ass again.

"Fuck," Chloe moans in pain, grasping her side with her hand.

Victoria shakes her head at the blue haired girls stubbornness and holds her hand out once more, shaking it slightly to catch Chloe's attention.

Chloe sighs, defeated, knowing she can't do this without some help and takes Victoria's hand. Victoria leans forward and places her other hand behind Chloe's shoulder to support her, pulling her up slowly as she does. The pain shoots through Chloe's mid-section again, but this time Victoria stops her from falling back, instead placing Chloe's arm around her shoulders to support her whilst she stands, too. Chloe adjusts and finds her bearings for a minute, before removing her arm from around Victoria's shoulder.

"Thanks," Chloe mumbles, before slowly trying to walk away and leave the kitchen.

"Erm, where the fuck do you think you're going, Price?"

"Home," Chloe snaps.

"Not like that, you're not," Victoria shoots back, taking some quick steps towards Chloe and blocking her path.

"Listen, Chase, I don't have time for your bullshit right-" Chloe starts.

"Shut up, Chloe," Victoria snaps, cutting Chloe off mid-sentence.

Chloe doesn't have a chance to argue before Victoria takes hold of her hand and starts leading her through the house and up the stairs. Chloe is slow going up them, the pain in her body causing her to stumble slightly, but Victoria is surprisingly patient and lets her take her time.

"Fuck these rich assholes and their massive fucking houses with their fucking ridiculous amount of stairs," Chloe spits, her face twisting in agony as she takes another step up.

Victoria can't help but chuckle slightly at Chloe's ramblings, her hand still firmly grasping Chloe's.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Victoria looks at Chloe. Her face is a mess, blood still running down it, with some of it now sticking to her hair, too. A girl is stood to the side of the hallway with a guy's arms wrapped around her, hearing Chloe and Victoria, she turns to look at them and notices Chloe's appearance.

"Ew," the girl says, pulling a disgusted face.

"Shut the fuck up," Victoria snaps at her, her brows furrowing at her as she does.

"Whatever," the girl laughs, turning to resume her make out session with the guy she has pressed up against the wall.

"Come on, not far now," Victoria says, tugging Chloe's hand gently towards a door at the far side of the hallway.

Switching on a light, Victoria pulls Chloe inside after her and turns to shut the door behind them. They're inside a very large and very clean bathroom. The tiles on the wall are a pristine white in contrast to the matte black ones on the floor. Chloe notices that the tub is almost as big as her bed and that there's even two sinks. His and Hers bullshit. Chloe scoffs, falling back onto the toilet, her body thanking her by shooting more almost-vomit-inducing pain through it. She gasps and clutches her side once more, closing her eyes and willing the pain to stop already. Victoria hasn't said anything. Instead, she's busy rifling through the medicine cabinet by the mirror.

"Here, take these," Victoria finally says, turning to face Chloe with two pills in her hand that she holds out for her to take.

Chloe looks up and takes the offered pills from Victoria's hand. Victoria moves over to the sink and starts running the tap, filling up a glass she found sat next to it. With the glass full, she turns to Chloe once more and holds it out for her to take, too.

"I've already swallowed them," Chloe mumbles, shifting her gaze to the floor.

"Drink it anyway," Victoria says, thrusting the glass towards Chloe.

Chloe doesn't have the strength to argue, so she takes the glass and gulps down the water in one go, surprising herself. She didn't realise she was so thirsty. The action makes her body ache again, though, causing her to choke slightly on some of it and cough.

Grabbing a wash cloth, Victoria runs it under the tap, letting it soak up cold water. She briefly wrings it and walks over to sit on the edge of the tub closest to where the toilet that Chloe is sat on is.

"Look at me," Victoria says, nudging Chloe's leg with her knee.

Chloe lifts her head from her chest and meets Victoria's gaze. She feels a small sting as Victoria places the cool cloth over her left eyebrow and gently starts wiping it.

"Aren't you worried you'll get blood on your cashmere?" Chloe asks, gasping slightly at the pain.

"You already got beer on it before when you threw it at Nathan," Victoria sighs.

Chloe can't help but let out a small laugh, knowing she unintentionally still managed to fuck up Victoria's clothes again.

"You're unbelievable, Price," Victoria snorts, trying to hide a smile at the other girl's laughter.

"I'm not the one who's friends with a rapey asshole."

Victoria winces slightly at Chloe's words, but also at Chloe's own wince when she drags the cloth directly over the cut on her eyebrow.

"He's not always been like that," Victoria mumbles, "it's just recently and only when he drinks."

"There's no excuse for it," Chloe spits, anger flashing briefly across her face.

"I know," Victoria nods, turning her attention to wiping away the blood down the side of Chloe's face, "but that was the first time he's ever done something like that with me."

Chloe just grunts and shifts her gaze away from Victoria's.

"Nathan is fucked up and troubled and I know that's no excuse for what he did, but, he's also one of my closest friends and he's been with me through a lot."

"Whatever," Chloe says, shifting slightly so Victoria can wipe the blood from her jaw.

"Thanks, by the way."

"For what?"

"For ruining my cashmere, obviously," Victoria quips, "why do you think?!"

"I don't know," Chloe snaps.

"Don't play dumb with me, Chloe," Victoria snorts, "you helped me out before and I'm thanking you for it. So, do me the fucking courtesy of acknowledging it."

Chloe doesn't know what to say so she just sighs and looks at Victoria. Victoria has stopped wiping her face now, meeting Chloe's look with her own. Chloe's never noticed before, but Victoria has green eyes and they're rather pretty for a girl who's such a big bitch. Noticing Chloe's thoughtful expression, Victoria starts feeling that sensation in the pit of her stomach again, causing her breathing to quicken and her heart rate to kick it up a notch. It makes her feel flustered and uncomfortable. Nervous...?

After a few silent and awkward seconds, Victoria can't hold Chloe's gaze any longer and stands to walk back over to the sink. With her back turned away from Chloe, she rinses the wash cloth out.

"You called me Chloe," Chloe says from behind her.

"That's your name, isn't it?" Victoria asks, watching the pink water drain away.

"I thought it was Kari."

Victoria smirks, "oh right, yeah, sorry, Kari."

"Bitch," Chloe snorts.

"Whatthefuckever," Victoria laughs, wringing the wash cloth and placing it back on the side.

Reaching into the medicine cabinet once more, Victoria retrieves some anti-septic ointment and makes her way back towards Chloe.

"Hold still," Victoria says, squeezing some of the ointment out onto the tip of her index finger.

"What? Why?" Chloe asks, having not noticed what Victoria was doing, distracted at the sight of blood on her white dress shirt.

Victoria tilts Chloe's head up towards her with her free hand and gently applies the ointment to the cut on her eyebrow with the other.

"Don't want it getting infected," Victoria says.

Chloe winces slightly at the added pressure from Victoria's finger.

"Didn't see your concern for my lip after biting it," Chloe mumbles.

Victoria just smiles slightly and shakes her head, removing her finger from Chloe's face. She hasn't realised that her other hand is still holding Chloe's head in place, though, as she stares down at her and observes her handy work in first aid. This time, it's Chloe's turn to start feeling uncomfortable under Victoria's gaze and moves her head slightly as a signal for her to let go.

"All better," Victoria says, before turning to wash her hands at the sink.

Chloe mutters something that sounds like a 'thank you', but Victoria isn't sure. And she doesn't care. What Chloe did for her before is really appreciated and she wishes she could find the words to express that, but words often failing her, she did her best to show it through actions by getting Chloe cleaned up instead.

Lost in her train of thought, Victoria hasn't noticed Chloe standing and slowly making her way towards the door to leave. However, the sudden thud she hears when Chloe falls, snaps her back to reality and makes her spin to face the direction of the noise.

"Ow," Chloe groans, writhing around on the cold, hard tiles.

"What the fuck, Price?!" Victoria snaps, however, concern still evident in her tone of voice, too.

"I was gonna head home," Chloe breathes out, her voice slightly muffled by her face being pressed against the floor.

"You need to lie down, you could have a concussion," Victoria says, walking over to Chloe and placing a hand under arm.

"I'll be fine," Chloe growls, shrugging Victoria's hand away.

Victoria doesn't say or do anything, again choosing to just stand and watch Chloe be her stubborn self. This is something Victoria can at least relate to. She often struggles to accept any help from anyone, even those she likes and considers herself close to. The only time she has accepted it, is when she finally let herself realise she couldn't do it on her own. So, using the same approach here, she simply crosses her arms across her chest and waits for the realisation to hit Chloe.

Chloe brings her knees up, resting her weight on her elbows, before slowly pushing herself up onto all fours. She can feel Victoria's eyes burning a hole into the back of her head.

"I just stood up too fast and got dizzy," Chloe tries to explain (or more like excuse).

Chloe's vision is still blurring slightly in front of her and with the adrenaline now gone from before, she can feel a horrific stabbing pain in her head. She shakes her head slightly, trying to focus her eyesight, but the movement just causes more pain to shoot through her temple and work its way behind her eyes. She holds back the sudden urge to vomit, refusing to look weaker than she already does in front of Victoria.

It's been way over a minute and Chloe is still on all fours, with her head hanging forward, willing herself to stand up already. Her vision has started to clear again, but the pain is far from finished. Victoria is still stood patiently looking down at her. Chloe can't help feeling stupid in the moment, audibly sighing to herself, which Victoria can't help but notice.

"Are you going to let me help you now?" Victoria asks, her tone, though slightly condescending, is soft.

Chloe simply grunts, but otherwise stays silent and Victoria sees this as the go-ahead. Leaning forward, Victoria hooks both of her hands under Chloe's arms and slowly starts to hoist her up. Chloe feels like dead weight, though.

"You know, you're supposed to help me lift you," Victoria quips, puffing out some air from between her lips as she tries to lift Chloe again.

However, Chloe is still like dead weight beneath her and panic starts to set in, thinking something is wrong with Chloe for her to be unresponsive.

"Chloe?!" Victoria half shrieks, shaking Chloe slightly as she does.

It takes Victoria another couple of tries, before she hears a small chuckle escape Chloe's lips and her childish behaviour quickly dawns on her.

"Fuck you, Price, you're doing this on purpose!" Victoria snaps, swatting Chloe's arm with one of her hands.

"S-Sorry," Chloe says in-between laughs, "you're just too easy."

"You're on the floor, suffering from a possible concussion and you have time for jokes?!" Victoria growls.

"Always," Chloe laughs again.

"Real mature," Victoria says sarcastically, standing up and away from Chloe.

Chloe's laughter is still bringing a smile to Victoria's face, though, despite her frustration with the blue haired mess. One she still can't help but try to hide, even if Chloe is still looking down at the floor, too busy laughing to notice.

A few moments pass before Chloe slowly lifts her head to look up at Victoria, a serious look now painted on her face.

"No, but seriously, Chase, aren't you going to help me up?" Chloe asks, her lip slightly lifting at the corner.

Victoria scoffs and shakes her head.

"Please?" Chloe pleads, doing her best to shoot Victoria a sad, puppy dog expression.

"Are you finished being stupid now?"

"Yes," Chloe mumbles.

Victoria rolls her eyes and moves back down to Chloe, placing her hands under her arms once more. This time, as she lifts, she feels Chloe helping her along by pushing herself up.

Victoria almost has Chloe standing before she loses her footing slightly against the slippery tiles, causing her to lose her grip on Chloe. In an attempt to prevent Chloe from falling back, Victoria quickly shifts her weight and turns Chloe's back towards the bathroom wall. The sudden shift has Victoria stumbling forward and into Chloe with an "oof", their bodies suddenly pressed together against the wall.

The sudden feeling of Chloe's toned abdomen pressing against her own, coupled with the embarrassment of her minor fuck up, has a blush forming fast and heavy on her cheeks. She can feel the heat rising from them, as well as from Chloe's body and now, it's Victoria's turn to feel dizzy, as blood rushes down her body, causing a familiar twinge sensation just above where her legs meet.

Chloe's breath has quickened, too, whether it's from the fright of almost falling or from Victoria being pressed against her, she's not sure. The awkward feeling isn't a welcome one, though, and Chloe shifts her body slightly, making Victoria stand back a bit.

"Nice save," Chloe smirks, looking down at Victoria.

Victoria is simply grateful for the distraction from whatever... that... was.

"No problem," Victoria nods, clearing her throat and stepping back, putting more distance between herself and Chloe.

"Guess I should lie down now," Chloe sighs.

"Yeah, I tried to tell you that before," Victoria says, raising an eyebrow at Chloe.

"You sure it wasn't my idea?" Chloe says, shooting Victoria her shit eating grin.

"Just come on already, there's still a party going on downstairs," Victoria says, shaking her head and taking Chloe by the hand to lead her out of the bathroom.

"Aw, aren't you going to stay and read me bedtime stories, Chase?"

"Shut up," Victoria scoffs, switching the light off behind them as she does.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Whose room is this?" Chloe asks, sitting on the edge of a large double bed.

"For tonight," Victoria says, making her way over to a bag on the desk, "it's mine."

"What?"

"I don't know whose room it is, but the girl whose house it is said I can spend the night and use this room."

"Oh," Chloe mumbles.

Victoria checks her phone for any messages. A bunch are from Taylor and Courtney asking where she's disappeared to. Whilst Victoria is distracted with her phone, Chloe starts to unbutton her blood stained dress shirt, but gives up halfway through and simply lifts it up and over her head instead, throwing it down to the floor. Leaning forward, Chloe starts to undo the laces on her combat boots so she can take them off, too, but the pain in her side, though not as bad as it was, shoots through her again.

Chloe audibly winces, sucking in air between her teeth. This is enough to catch Victoria's attention and she turns to see a shirtless Chloe doubled over, trying her best to untie her laces, albeit failing miserably.

"Ugh, stop, Price," Victoria sighs, rolling her eyes.

"Why?"

Victoria doesn't stop to answer Chloe's question, instead moving over to face her and squatting down in front of her. Chloe is shocked to see Victoria start to undo her laces for her, after first slapping her hand away, of course.

"Wow," Chloe quips, "the almighty Victoria Chase helping take off trashy Chloe Price's boots."

Hearing those words, Victoria's face scrunches up and she flinches slightly. She's not sure as to why, but she hated hearing them.

"Shut up," Victoria snaps... Well, she tries to snap, but instead it comes out sounding mumbled and almost like she's insecure.

Chloe leans back onto her elbows and closes her eyes. Victoria is hoping Chloe hasn't noticed her little mishap just then or is simply too drunk and/or concussed to care. Victoria finishes unlacing the second boot, before pulling it off too, along with Chloe's socks.

"There," Victoria says, "now get in and go to sleep."

"Hella bossy," Chloe smirks, opening her eyes to look at Victoria, before quickly shutting one again in a wink at her.

Victoria snorts, "whatever," and rolls her eyes, before standing back up, her hands finding their usual place on her hips.

Chloe slowly shuffles back onto the bed all the way up to the headboard, where she lies her head back onto a pillow and shuts her eyes, letting out a loud breath.

Victoria watches her, quickly realising Chloe's now sporting a huge and ugly looking, red and blue bruise on her side, near her ribs.

"How's the pain?" Victoria asks, moving her way around the bed, closest to the side Chloe's is lying on.

"Better," Chloe starts, her eyes still closed, "whatever you gave me rea- OW, what the shit, Victoria?!"

Chloe's eyelids shoot open and her brows furrow. Unbeknownst to Chloe, Victoria had made her way over to her and decided to test Chloe's pain levels out by poking the bruise on her side.

"Just checking," Victoria smirks, her voice feigning innocence.

"Whatever," Chloe grumbles, inching slightly away from Victoria and shutting her eyes once more.  
"Don't you have a party to get back to?"

Victoria loses herself in tracing her eyes over every inch of Chloe's exposed skin, her breath quickening the further south her eyes travel... Her face... Her lips... Her neck... Her collarbone... Her tattoo... Her chest... Her breasts... Her toned abdomen... Her pierced navel... That goddamn fucking bruise, her breath catching altogether in her throat.

Looking at that and then back up at Chloe's face, at the cut on her eyebrow, Victoria feels anger rising from within her.

"Yeah, I do. You get some rest, mmkay?" Victoria says, as softly as possible, before taking quick and sudden steps towards the door and throwing it open.

Instead of slamming it though (as she feels like doing), she slowly and gently closes it behind her. Not that it matters...

Chloe is oblivious and already sound asleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Where's Nathan?" Victoria asks, an impatient tone in her voice.

"Oh my God, V, where have you been?" Taylor asks in return.

"Busy. Now, where's Nathan?" Victoria snaps, her impatience more clear this time.

"He's outside. Zach has been making him drink water for the last hour or so," Courtney says.

Victoria doesn't stop to thank her, turning on her heels and making her way towards the back yard.

The music has now died down. Party goers are scattered around and most of them are passed out on the floor or any other available surface. Unlike Victoria, they didn't book for a room in advance. One such party goer is blocking the path leading to outside and Victoria does her best to step over him, but fails miserably and steps on an unidentified body part in her haste to find Nathan. He doesn't react beyond a small groan, though.

The yard is in equal, if not worse, state. Red cups and cigarette butts are strewn about and someone must have decided that TP-ing the trees was a smart idea. The grass is trodden and some of it has been kicked up, making it look patchy in places.

Victoria doesn't care, though, her eyes are locked onto a blonde haired boy sat down in a lawn chair, a glass full of clear liquid in his hand. He sees Victoria approaching and quickly stands up, his face contorting into one of panic and slight anguish.

"Vic, I'm so, so sorry," Nathan starts, "I didn't mean to do that be-"

He doesn't get a chance to finish, because Victoria stops him short with a harsh and heavy slap to the face that rings out loudly into the chilly night. Nathan stumbles back, tripping over the leg of the chair and landing hard on his ass with a thud. The water that was in his hand has now spilled all over him.

"Ow," Nathan groans.

Victoria places her hands on her hips and cocks her head to look down at him, staying silent. She can feel the heat on the palm of her hand and it stings slightly, but it was worth it.

"Was that because of what I did to you... Or what I did to her?" Nathan spits, rubbing his cheek.

"That's for being a drunken asshole," Victoria snipes, before leaning to reach for a still half full cup of beer and throwing it over him, drenching his clothes even more.

"Alright! ALRIGHT!" Nathan shouts.

Victoria just stands and crosses her arms across her chest.

"I said I'm sorry, Vic, what else do you want me to do?"

"Get some fucking help," Victoria snaps, her brows furrowing so hard that it almost hurts.

"You're right. I'll talk to dad about it, okay?" Nathan says, finally looking up to meet Victoria's angry gaze.

"Whatever," Victoria scoffs, turning to walk away, "we'll talk about this when I don't feel like murdering you."

Victoria keeps walking, her anger slowly, but surely, subsiding with every step. Courtney and Taylor are stood by the door to the house, their mouths both hanging open in shock at what they just witnessed. Victoria doesn't stop to say anything to them and instead makes her way back inside and upstairs.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chloe is lightly snoring and turned to lie on her good side when Victoria enters the bedroom again. For the first time in the last hour or so, she looks peaceful and content and that brings a small and unexpected smile to Victoria's face.

Victoria quickly slips out of her shoes. As an after-thought, she slips out of her shirt, too, which still smells of the beer that Chloe threw earlier. Switching off the main light, she turns on a small bedside one and tip toes over to the free side of the bed, where she gently lies down next to Chloe, doing her best not to wake the blue haired girl.

Victoria lies on her back and stares up at the ceiling, her hands resting on her bare abdomen. The sting in her palm has completely subsided now, along with her anger. That's the first time she's ever gotten angry with Nathan, to the point of slapping him, that is. After years of friendship. He's the only one that knows Victoria and Chloe have had sex, because she trusts him. Trusted him...?

Victoria sighs and turns on her side to face Chloe, letting her eyes roam over Chloe's sleeping face. The sight is soothing to Victoria and helps calm her breathing as she comes down from her adrenaline rush. Victoria focuses her attention on the cut on Chloe's eyebrow, hoping it doesn't leave a scar. It's in that moment she finally knows the answer to Nathan's question before...

She slapped him because of what he did to Chloe. Not her.

This epiphany causes a weird sensation in her chest, a different one to the one Taylor explained to her a few days ago. Victoria doesn't dwell on it much, though, turning her thoughts back to Nathan. Part of her can't help but feel like she deserved the mistreatment towards her from him, after the way she's acted towards people. Towards Chloe... Victoria is a total selfish bitch, people often remind her. But Chloe? Chloe is one of those people that remind her... Yet, she's also the person who stood up for her and got Nathan off of her.

'Why?' Victoria thinks.

Victoria doesn't think about it for long, before small moans and whimpers escape from Chloe's mouth next to her.

Chloe has gone from looking peaceful to looking scared, her face twisting and her brows furrowing in her sleep. Her breathing has quickened, too, and she's starting to slowly rock from side to side. Victoria mindlessly reaches a hand out towards Chloe's face and brushes some of her hair out of her face. She can't help but notice that Chloe's skin is cold and clammy under her fingertip.

Victoria is unsure of what to do. 'Do I wake her... Or?' she thinks to herself, weighing up her options.

Chloe's movements are becoming more frantic and she throws an arm out, accidentally hitting Victoria in the face. Fortunately, it didn't really hurt and Victoria flinches more out of the sudden movement than out of pain.

"Max!" Chloe shouts, the sweat on her face becoming more visible now.

"Chloe?" Victoria says, placing her hand lightly on Chloe's shoulder and shaking her.

"MAX!" Chloe shouts again, louder this time, making Victoria jump slightly.

"Chloe!" Victoria half shouts back, shaking her harder in attempts to wake her from her nightmare.

"MAX!" Chloe shouts again, this time jolting in her sleep and quickly sitting up, gasping for breath.

Victoria doesn't know what to do or say, so she just moves her hand to slide down Chloe's arm and gently squeezes her hand in her own. Chloe jumps at the contact and looks behind her to see Victoria lying next to her. She quickly notices Victoria is shirtless, too.

Still panting slightly, Chloe focuses on her breathing and lies back down, staring at the ceiling. She can feel her sweat sticking to hair and skin, probably the sheets, too.

"You were dreaming pretty loudly," Victoria mumbles, moving her hand away from Chloe's.

Chloe sighs and turns to lie on her side, facing Victoria. That dream was her worst one yet. Max was in it again, only this time, she looked the exact same as she did on that photo Chloe was looking at yesterday. Chloe was chasing her, following the sound of her shouts, but when she finally reached Max, Max was holding a gun and aiming it at her, stopping her from closing the distance between them. Chloe's dream self was confused in the moment, but Max wasn't looking at her, she was looking behind her, fear evident on her face. The last thing Chloe remembers is turning to look and see what it was that Max was looking at, catching only the glimpse of a tall shadow... Before a gun went off, effectively jolting Chloe awake.

"Who's Max?" Victoria asks, breaking the silence.

Chloe doesn't know what to say. In fact, she's not even sure she wants to respond. She shifts her gaze to stare into Victoria's eyes, sighing again.

"You kept shouting 'Max'," Victoria mutters, shifting slightly on the bed and accidentally brushing her arm against Chloe's.

"I don't know," Chloe lies, noticing Victoria squirm slightly under her unwavering and intense stare. She shifts slightly, inching her face ever so slightly towards Victoria's.

"Are you sure? It seems like you-" Victoria starts, but she's quickly cut off mid-sentence by the sudden feel of Chloe's cold and dry lips against her own.

"Shut up, Chase," Chloe breathes, tickling Victoria's face slightly with her breath.

Victoria gets it. Chloe doesn't want to talk and after the heavy events of the evening, she doesn't blame her. Part of her even thanks her, because Victoria hates talking about this sort of shit, too.

Victoria nods her head slightly and leans in, deepening the kiss. Her hand slides up Chloe's arm and neck, tangling itself in her blue locks at the back of her head and pulling her in closer. Chloe's breathing quickens at the contact of Victoria's hand, sending shivers down her spine and she places her own on Victoria's waist, pulling their bottom halves closer together, too.

Victoria parts her mouth and trails her tongue over the bottom of Chloe's lip, which Chloe hungrily accepts into her mouth, massaging it with her own and causing Victoria to let out a small and breathy moan against her lips. Hearing Victoria moan stirs Chloe on and she shifts so her left leg slips in-between Victoria's thighs, bumping slightly against her core.

Feeling Chloe's leg slowly grind against her, Victoria's breath hitches and quickens, her kisses growing feverish and sloppy against Chloe's lips. She tugs at Chloe's hair, signalling for Chloe to roll on top of her and take her. Chloe doesn't hesitate and does just that, ignoring the (now mild) pain in her side as she does.

Chloe's now on top of Victoria, leaning her weight on her elbows on either side of her. She nips Victoria's lip, before biting down on it harder, eliciting another moan as she simultaneously gyrates her hips against Victoria's, her leg still firmly between her legs, with Victoria's own between hers.

Both girls can feel themselves growing wetter with every bump and grind of their hips, their underwear starting to pool like warm honey. Chloe starts to kiss her way down the side of Victoria's face, nipping slightly at her jawline, before leaving sloppy kisses at the tender spot under her ear.

"Bite me," Victoria moans, dragging her nails down Chloe's back, before placing her hands on her jean-cladded ass and squeezing her closer against her.

Chloe bites down on the sensitive spot below Victoria's ear, leaving a mark that she then soothes over with her tongue, before continuing to kiss her way down, leaving trails of her saliva against Victoria's pale skin. Victoria squeezes Chloe's ass in appreciation and thrusts her hips upwards against Chloe, knocking her thigh against her clit. Chloe moans and arches her back in approval, wanting to close the distance between them even more and growing frustrated at the material of their jeans separating them.

Chloe continues her attack on Victoria, kissing and licking her collarbone, whilst sliding her hands underneath her back towards the clasp of her bra. Victoria sits up slightly, granting Chloe easier access and digs her nails into Chloe's skin at the feel of her teeth grazing her collarbone.  
In one swift motion, Victoria's bra is unclasped and the straps are being dragged down her arms, the cups falling away from her chest to reveal two pert breasts with hardened nipples.

Sitting up onto her knees and leaning back slightly, Chloe stares down at Victoria's exposed body as she blindly tosses her bra to the side. She can see small goosebumps forming on her skin and her breasts jiggle slightly when she shivers, yearning for Chloe's body warmth again. Chloe smirks and softly runs her nails over her breasts, making Victoria let out a small whimper when she scratches over her nipples.

Seeing the hungry and lustful stare in Victoria's eyes makes Chloe's breath hitch in her throat. Reaching around her own back to undo her bra, she winces slightly from the pain in her side. Victoria quickly sits up and pulls her arms back in front of her, before reaching her own around Chloe's back to undo it for her, planting kisses against her chest as she does. Chloe laces her fingers through Victoria's short hair and pulls her head so it tilts and her face is looking up at her. She crashes her lips against Victoria's, pushing her tongue past her lips to meet hers, causing them to both moan into each others mouths.

With Chloe's bra unclasped, Victoria slides it hurriedly down her arms, her nails dragging along Chloe's skin as she does. Pulling away from Chloe's lips, Victoria turns her attention to Chloe's breasts, sucking her hardened and pierced nipple into her mouth and flicking her tongue over it. Chloe moans louder at the sensation, pulling Victoria's hair harder when she feels her teeth biting down on it, the clash against the metal creating a small clinking sound.

Throwing Chloe's bra behind her, Victoria pulls her back down on top of her, enjoying the sound of the small slap their skin makes when connecting, their breasts pushing up against each other. Chloe resumes where she left off, kissing her way down Victoria's neck, alternating between nips, licks and kisses. Victoria isn't sure of what her hands should be doing, so she places one back into Chloe's hair and slides the other one down between them towards the button of Chloe's jeans, popping it open with her thumb and forefinger. Victoria feels Chloe grin against her burning and slightly perspiring skin at her action, before she feels Chloe suck and flick her tongue over her right nipple in a counter-move.

Chloe and Victoria's breaths are both growing ragged, their pants and moans filling the room and heating it up. Chloe sits up again and moves her hands to undo Victoria's jean button, hurriedly tugging the zipper down afterwards and hooking her fingers into the waistband, feeling Victoria's jutting hip bones against the back of her hands. With one rough tug, Chloe lowers her jeans, along with her underwear, down to her knees. Sliding herself back slightly, she brings Victoria's legs up so her knees are bent in front of her, before sliding them the rest of the way down and drops them onto the floor.

Chloe stays kneeling in front of Victoria, who spreads her knees apart and slides her legs down so Chloe's left kneeling in-between them instead. Chloe drops her gaze and takes in the sight of Victoria's clean-shaven and soaking pussy. Leaning slightly forward towards her face, Chloe roughly kisses Victoria and slowly brings her left hand up to their joined lips, breaking the kiss. Victoria understands what Chloe wants and takes her fingers into her mouth, sucking them slow and hard. Chloe stares mesmerised for a few moments, before pulling her fingers from Victoria's mouth. She then trails them slowly down from Victoria's mouth, her chin, her neck, then down the centre of her chest and through the valley of her small mounds. Victoria shivers, the saliva from Chloe's fingers leaving cold, wet patches against her skin.

"What do you want?" Chloe says, looking down at Victoria as she does, her fingers now stopped on her lower abdomen, where they're slowly tracing circular patterns against her skin.

Victoria sits up and brings her face close to Chloe's again. Tilting her head slightly to the side, she leans up and whispers into her ear.

"To fuck you," Victoria says, smiling against Chloe's neck, before biting it and sucking her skin between her teeth.

Victoria's words have caught Chloe completely off guard and she hasn't noticed that Victoria's hands have lowered the zipper to her jeans, her hands now tugging them down to her knees, along with her boxers. Victoria pulls Chloe back down on top of her and Chloe shuffles her legs slightly, working her jeans down with one hand helping her, before kicking them and her boxers off. Victoria realises Chloe's wet pussy is now bumping slightly against her own and she lies waiting for Chloe to stop moving and realise it, too.

Chloe suddenly grows still and looks down at Victoria, her breath hitches in her throat as she feels her clit grind against Victoria's.

"F-Fuck," Chloe lets out in a ragged moan, the realisation and sensation hitting her at once.

Victoria smiles and pulls Chloe's face in for a heated and passionate kiss, thrusting her hips up as she does. Chloe moans into her mouth, before biting down onto Victoria's lip and sucking it in-between her teeth.

It's not long before the pair work up a rhythm, their hips gyrating and thrusting, creating a heated friction between both their legs, sending shock waves through their body with every bump of their clits.

Chloe leans her weight on her elbows and buries her face into the crook of Victoria's neck, picking up the pace and adding pressure with her hips. Victoria can feel Chloe's wetness dripping down onto her own and she can't help letting out loud moans, her nails scratching manically at Chloe's back and pulling her down onto her harder, adding to the increasing pressure.

Chloe is perspiring more and more with every thrust and grind of her hips, panting and blowing hot air into Victoria's neck with every moan. Victoria feels Chloe's hands sliding down towards her hips where she grabs on and pulls Victoria closer, their slick pussy lips now rubbing together, too.

Chloe's moans are growing more frequent and laboured and Victoria knows she's getting close, closer than she is herself. But Victoria doesn't care, the feeling of Chloe on top of her like this has her seeing stars, with her skin burning against Chloe's and their sweat acting as a lubricant against the increasing friction.

"Fuck, I'm- I'm gonna come," Chloe moans, her speed reaching maximum levels and her movements becoming increasingly erratic as she sees the finish line in sight.

Hearing Chloe's words against her neck stirs Victoria on and she feels herself nearing suddenly, too, her clit throbbing and moving against Chloe's.

Chloe is lost in the sensations, her eyes firmly shut. All she can feel is a naked female body pressed against her own, all she can smell is a musky sort of scent, a mixture of sweat and sex, and all she can hear are moans. For Chloe, it's no longer Victoria underneath her...

It's Rachel.

She can see her clearly in her minds eye, her face twisting into a look of pleasure as she bites her bottom lip, letting small moans and pants slip out every now and again.

Chloe's so close now, she can feel the pressure building in her lower abdomen, a tightening feeling that's ready to snap at any second.

With a few final thrusts, it hits her. Hard.

"I-I'm coming," Chloe moans, almost screams even.

But for some reason, the image of Rachel in her mind starts to shift and morph. Gone are the long strands of blonde hair and hazel eyes. Replaced in a second by a girl with short brown hair and dark blue eyes, her face covered in a beautiful clusterfuck of freckles...

Chloe can't stop it. And part of her doesn't want to, either.

Her body shakes and spasms on top of Victoria, electric shocks work their way up and down body and she feels her release squirt out between her legs, dripping down onto Victoria in fast and heavy amounts. Chloe gives out one final moan, her toes curling and her nails digging into Victoria's hips, before she stops her movements altogether and lets her body fall limp.

"Shit," Chloe pants, the image of Max fading from her mind, with the sounds of Victoria's climax against her snapping her back to reality.

"Fuck," Victoria moans, breathing heavily against Chloe's ear.

Chloe leans back and looks at Victoria, before quickly planting a kiss on her lips and rolling off of her, back onto her side of the bed.

"That was amazing," Victoria says, her ragged breathing starting to slow and settle with every rise and fall of her chest.

"It was something, alright," Chloe agrees, her breathing back to semi-normal as she stares up at the ceiling.

'But for a very different reason,' she thinks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Chloe, wake up."

"Mm.."

"Chloe!"

Victoria shakes Chloe for perhaps the fifth time, but the blue haired girl is impossible to wake, simply mumbling in her sleep.

"Chloe!" Victoria tries again, shaking her a little harder.

No luck.

Victoria sits up and moves to lean over Chloe. She lowers her face to the side of Chloe's and bites down on her ear. Hard enough to hurt, but not hard enough to make her bleed.

"OW, what the fuck?!" Chloe yells, jolting upright in bed and jerking her hand up to soothe over the pain on her ear.

"Finally," Victoria says, rolling her eyes, "you're impossible to wake up."

"So, your solution is to bite my ear?!" Chloe snaps, shooting a death glare at Victoria through one half-open eye, the other still firmly shut in her sleepy state.

"Well, I'd have thrown a drink over your face, but the sheets are already a fucking mess."

"What the fuck is that-" Chloe starts, but is cut off when she notices Victoria lowering her gaze down towards the bed.

Following Victoria's gaze, Chloe looks down to see the sheets are covered in patches of blood, as well as on her own chest, too.

"Your cut must have bled in the night," Victoria sighs, "you tend to toss around a lot."

"Ugh," Chloe grunts.

Chloe raises her hands to rub the sleep from her eyes, but as soon as she does, she finally notices the dull, throbbing pain in her head. Booze coupled with a headbutt from a psychopath, does not equal fun the morning after.

"It's all over your face again, too," Victoria says, shifting around and causing the sheet covering her to drop slightly.

Chloe turns to look at her, but quickly looks away when she realises Victoria is naked. They both are, having both passed out not long after their early-morning-workout. The memory makes Chloe recall Max's appearance in her mind during the big finale, too.

'Shit', Chloe thinks, a blush fast forming on her face.

Chloe can't help but feel slightly ashamed with herself, leaving her with a disgusted feeling. She hasn't seen or spoken to Max in five years, yet, that still happened. It's never happened before, but then again, there's a first time for everything. Chloe just hopes it was the last time, too. She has enough on her mind already, without the mind fuck of reaching orgasm to someone who was once your best and only friend. Even if Max has grown to be attractive.

Victoria has noticed Chloe lost in her own thoughts and despite the blood on her face, she can still make out a slight blush on her cheeks.

"What? Are you shy all of a sudden?" Victoria snorts.

Hearing Victoria's voice snaps Chloe back to the present and she turns to look at her with her shit-eating grin.

"No," Chloe scoffs, before moving her arms up into the air and stretching.

The pain in her side when she stretches reminds her that the cut on her face isn't the only injury she received from the previous night. Chloe winces slightly, lowering her arms to hold her head in one hand and grasp her side with the other.

"You look like shit," Victoria says.

"I feel like it," Chloe mumbles, silently wishing she could curl up somewhere quiet and die.

"You should take a shower."

"I think I kinda need one," Chloe sighs, shooting a small half-smile in Victoria's direction.

"There's an en-suite over there," Victoria sighs, pointing to a door in the corner of the room.

"Right," Chloe mutters, slowly moving her legs over to the edge of the bed and placing her feet down onto the floor.

Standing up slowly, Chloe uses her hands to push herself up from the bed, the sheet covering her body falling away from her as she does. The dull throb in her head intensifies, causing her to sway slightly and stumble, but she manages to correct herself and stay standing.

"Oh, God," Chloe groans, feeling a familiar rising sensation from her stomach, her hands grasping at her head again.

"What?" Victoria asks, with slight concern in her voice from having seen Chloe stumble.

Chloe doesn't stop to answer Victoria, instead quickly doing her best to run to the bathroom in the corner of the room, her hands now clutched over her mouth as she does. Victoria understands what's about to happen and rolls her eyes to herself, throwing the sheets off herself, before grabbing for her shirt and underwear.

Chloe is almost at the bathroom, but clumsily catches her foot on the leg of the bed, stubbing her toe in the process. She doesn't have time to shout and swear from the agonising pain that comes with it, though, and carries on running, only now with a slight limp and a lot of internal screaming.

Thankfully, she manages to reach the toilet in time, throwing herself down onto her knees and the contents of her stomach into the bowl. Victoria has finished slipping on some clothing and is making her way towards the bathroom, where the sound of Chloe's violent retching is loudly emanating from.

Seeing Chloe with her head in the toilet bowl, Victoria shakes her head in disgust and walks over to the medicine cabinet, retrieving more painkillers. Finding another glass by the sink, she fills it with water. Chloe is still busy tossing cookies, so Victoria being Victoria, takes some time to check herself out in the mirror. Her make-up is smudged and her hair is a mess, especially after Chloe's tugging on it from their roll around. Sighing to herself, she pats her hair down and into place the best she can with her hands.

After a few minutes, Victoria is satisfied that that is the best she can do for in the meantime. The retching sounds have stopped, so she turns to look at Chloe and is amused to find her lying flat against the bathroom floor by the toilet.

"You done?" Victoria asks, doing her best not to smile.

Chloe simply groans and turns her head so she can see Victoria from where she's lying. She notices Victoria now has some clothing on, whilst she's still completely bare. How dignifying. The realisation elicits another groan from Chloe, causing her to shut her eyes and turn her head away. The cold, bathroom tiles feel nice against her flushed and hot skin, though. Thank the Gods for small mercies.

Victoria quietly snorts and moves towards Chloe, carefully stepping over her sprawled body, before flushing the gross contents in the bowl. Chloe is now starting to sit up, clutching her head in her hands as she does. Victoria notices and turns to grab the painkillers and glass of water she retrieved before, holding them out in front of Chloe's face for her to take. Chloe doesn't hesitate, taking the pills and slowly chases them down with some water, doing her best not to gulp it, despite how parched she is.

Victoria takes the glass from Chloe's hand and sets it aside, before leaning forward slightly and placing her hands under Chloe's arms. This time, Chloe doesn't shrug her off or try to fight it, resigning herself to pushing herself up and letting Victoria help. Victoria smiles to herself at this. Mainly because she can't be dealing with Chloe's childish games first thing in the morning after a party. She's also grateful she doesn't lose her footing this time, too.

Standing to face her, Chloe shoots her a quick half-smile. She's never felt so physically shitty in her life, with pain in her head, side and now her foot, too. Victoria still hasn't let go of Chloe's arms.

"How are you feeling?" Victoria asks, gently squeezing Chloe's arms.

"My head actually feels a bit better now," Chloe sniffs and clears her throat, dropping her gaze down from Victoria's face to the floor. Her throat feels like it's on fire now, too.

"Cool," Victoria nods, letting go of Chloe's arms.

Victoria reaches for something to the side of the sink and thrusts it in Chloe's direction.

"Mouthwash?" Chloe asks, doing her best to raise an eyebrow at Victoria, despite the huge gash in it.

"Erm, yeah, I don't want to smell your puke breath," Victoria scoffs, her face serious and her free hand on her hip.

Chloe sighs and takes the mouthwash from Victoria's outstretched hand. In all honesty, the taste in her mouth isn't a pleasant one either, so, fuck it. Uncapping it, she takes a decent swig and swirls it around her mouth, making sure to suck it in-between her teeth, before turning and spitting it into the toilet.

Victoria sighs and shakes her head. "You know there's a sink right there?" she says, gesturing towards the side of them.

"Toilet was closer," Chloe shrugs, twisting the cap back onto the mouthwash and handing it back to Victoria.

"Right," Victoria says, placing the mouthwash back by the sink.

Chloe turns and starts to make her way over to the shower. She suddenly feels Victoria's hand on her waist, supporting her along. Had she been in a better state than she is now, she would have shrugged her off. Stepping inside the shower, Chloe immediately finds refuge against the shower wall, enjoying the feel of the cold tiles against her skin once more. Victoria stands and looks at her, waiting to see if Chloe makes any moves to actually start showering. Chloe has her eyes closed and is simply unmoving, looking exhausted and completely worn down. A hot mess. Victoria has an idea but she's not sure how Chloe would react. But, fuck it, Chloe is clearly in a useless state right now.

Reaching down to the hem of her shirt, Victoria lifts it over her head and drops it to the floor, then slips her panties off, kicking them to the side. Chloe is still oblivious and in her own little world against the shower wall, when she feels skin lightly brush against her arm. Peeking one eye open, she sees Victoria has joined her in the shower and has closed the glass door behind her. Chloe closes her eye again. She doesn't have the strength to move, let alone argue and be clever with Victoria, so she just stays silent. If they can fuck one another, then what's a shower together, really?

Victoria isn't making any moves to turn the shower on, though, so Chloe forces herself to open her eyes and look at her. She seems... Nervous. Like she's uncertain of herself and the situation. Victoria meets her gaze, biting on her bottom lip and Chloe smirks at the sight, before slowly reaching for the shower knob and twisting it. Victoria breathes a sigh of relief at the action, but the relief quickly washes away when she feels the full force of freezing cold water hit her.

"Fuck!" Victoria yells, hurriedly sliding to the side and out of the water's reach.

Chloe can just about muster a small chuckle at the sight. She wasn't stood underneath the shower, but some splash back got her, too.

Victoria hears her and shoots her a death glare, "you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Chloe closes her eyes and leans her head against the wall again, smiling to herself.

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't?"

"No," Victoria scowls, adjusting the knob so the water's temperature doesn't leave her nipples hard enough to cut glass.

Chloe chuckles again, but otherwise stays unmoving, whilst Victoria steps under the water and closes her eyes, enjoying the warmth washing over her face and body. After a minute or so, she opens them to see Chloe still half-dead against the shower wall.

"Price?" Victoria says, splashing water in Chloe's direction and smirking when it hits her face.

"What?" Chloe mumbles, flinching slightly at the water hitting her unexpectedly, but otherwise not complaining about it, either.

"Come on, already," Victoria sighs, taking hold of Chloe's arm and gently dragging her under the flow of the water.

"Mm," Chloe groans, letting the water flow over her, feeling her hair grow wet and starting to stick to her face.

Chloe opens her eyes and looks down at her body and feet. She can see blood running down the length of her body, forming pink water droplets that work their way south and disappear down the drain. The hot water sends a small shiver down her spine and sparks some reserved energy in her, giving her the sudden strength to reach up and wipe her face with her hands. She winces slightly when she grazes the forgotten cut on her eyebrow with her fingertips. Victoria has been stood watching her and notices. Without thought, she raises her hands and pulls Chloe's away from her face. Chloe lifts her head to look at her, her facial expression sporting confusion.

Victoria ignores her look and reaches for a wash cloth sat by an assortment of various shampoo and body wash. After running it under the water that they're both stood under, Victoria hands the cloth to Chloe.

Chloe eyes up Victoria suspiciously, but takes the cloth anyway.

"What?" Victoria asks, noticing her look.

Chloe lifts the cloth to her face and gently starts wiping down it, taking a few seconds to answer Victoria, despite her eyes burning a hole into her face.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Chloe finally asks, moving the cloth away from her face and wiping the crusty blood from her chest instead. "You've never been nice to me before."

Victoria flinches slightly at Chloe's words. She doesn't like this question. It makes her feel uncomfortable. She really doesn't want to answer it. So, Victoria being Victoria...

"Why did you help me yesterday?" Victoria counters with a question of her own, hoping Chloe won't notice the change of subject.

Chloe stays silent and simply looks at Victoria. She's contemplating how to answer her... With a witty remark? Or... With the truth?

Sighing to herself, Chloe resigns herself to being genuine for once. Plus, it's been too long for a witty comeback to really land successfully.

"Erm," Chloe starts, clearing her throat slightly and avoiding Victoria's gaze by looking down at the shower floor, "a few years back, when I was still a student at Blackwell... There was this guy. I'd been friends with him for years and had known him since kindergarten. One day, he sorta... Stalked me and confronted me by cornering me in this room. He started acting really threatening and aggressive with me. I got kind of scared and luckily, I was able to distract him and make a run for it. He got arrested by the police and I haven't seen him since."

Victoria wasn't expecting Chloe to actually answer honestly and now she's stood staring at her with her mouth partly agape. Chloe looks up and notices Victoria's expression. The awkward silence makes her feel... Well, awkward as shit. She needs to break the silence.

"Anyway," Chloe continues, "I guess when I saw Nathan acting like that towards you, it got me angry because I can relate and I know how it feels to be in the position you were in. So... Yeah," Chloe says, trying to sound more nonchalant than she actually came off.

'Say words, Victoria. Say words! And for the love of God, shut your fucking mouth!' Victoria thinks to herself.

Victoria quickly snaps her mouth shut and looks up at Chloe, willing herself to find the words to say in response to that.

"You don't think I deserved it?" Victoria blurts.

'Nice one. Any words besides those ones would have sufficed. Like, maybe a thank you' Victoria thinks, mentally kicking herself.

"Er... What?" Chloe asks, her eyebrows raised in confusion. There's water dripping down her face and some goes into her eye, but she barely flinches and continues to search Victoria's face for some sort of explanation.

"You know," Victoria starts, averting her gaze from Chloe's and biting her bottom lip, a small blush forming on her face, "because I'm not exactly nice."

Chloe can't help but let out a small laugh after hearing those words leave Victoria's mouth. Victoria snaps her head up and scowls, not knowing that Chloe's laugh is actually one of disbelief and immediately grows defensive and embarrassed.

"S-Sorry," Chloe stutters slightly, trying to suppress her laughter when she notices Victoria's reaction, "it's just that, you're a bitch, yeah, but... No one deserves that sort of treatment, not even you."

"Oh," Victoria mutters, her mouth agape again.

Victoria wasn't expecting to hear that, either. Part of her was expecting Chloe to agree and say yes. Instead, Chloe just reaffirmed Victoria is a bitch, but despite that, she doesn't deserve that sort of mistreatment from someone. Now she doesn't really know what to think or say, but she knows that Chloe's words have brought up a weird swelling feeling inside of her chest, even if she doesn't know whether to take them as a compliment or not.

Victoria's lost in thought again and Chloe lifts her hand to rub the back of her neck, feeling awkward once more. She doesn't know what someone like Victoria could possibly be thinking about, considering she's always assumed people like Victoria don't think often... Or ever.

"Yeah, I- I mean, I guess if you ran your mouth and said something shitty to someone and they slapped you... I wouldn't say you were completely undeserving of that," Chloe says with a smirk, doing her best to break the silence once more.

Hearing Chloe speak again, Victoria snaps her attention back to her. She just about catches what Chloe says, but she can't seem to stop her eyes lingering over her lips, instead of meeting her gaze. Victoria is suddenly fighting an overwhelming urge to kiss Chloe and stop the swelling feeling that's pressing heavily on her chest, almost as if it's suffocating her.

Feeling the conversation has ran its course and not wanting to stand and do nothing in complete silence any longer, Chloe moves to pick up some shampoo.

"You missed a spot," Victoria says, suddenly snatching the cloth from Chloe's hand.

Chloe turns to look at Victoria, only to feel the cloth being gently dragged across the side of her face. The action takes Chloe by surprise, her body shifting in reaction and accidentally moving closer to Victoria. Not that Victoria minds, she wants Chloe closer because it makes it easier for her to do what she wants to. To finally stop fighting and just let herself feel what it is she feels.

Victoria brings her hand to a stop against Chloe's face, but she doesn't move it. Instead, she just looks Chloe in the eyes, before letting her gaze fall back to her lips again. Victoria slowly starts to inch her face closer to Chloe's and before long, her eyes are closed and her lips are gently pressed against hers. Victoria doesn't push it, she's simply testing the waters first and seeing how Chloe reacts. Chloe's lips stay unmoving, but she's not moving back or away, either. This stirs Victoria on, causing her to press her lips harder against Chloe's, praying she reciprocates and doesn't leave her feeling totally humiliated.

Chloe's eyes stay open and if Victoria's were, she would see the shock in them right now. Chloe can't help but wonder what the fuck is happening right now. Having casual and drunken sex is one thing, but being kissed like this is something else entirely. Surely Victoria knows that...right?

"Are you still trashed or something?" Chloe asks, moving her face away from Victoria's as she does.

Victoria instantly feels the blush quickly forming on her face at the realisation and steps away.

'What the fuck were you thinking?!' Victoria thinks, wishing she could melt and wash away down the drain with the rest of her dignity. 'You weren't, that's what'.

Victoria suddenly bursts out into feigned laughter and shakes her head before cocking it to the side and looking back at Chloe.

"I think so, you know," Victoria says, doing her best to sound casual and aloof, before turning away to grab some shampoo.

"Thought so," Chloe snorts, taking the shampoo Victoria has in her hand from her.

Victoria frowns and raises her eyebrows, which Chloe just about notices through half-shut eyes. One of her hands is already busy forming a lather in her hair and the other is still clutching onto the shampoo bottle.

"Oh, my bad," Chloe smirks, lifting the shampoo and squirting it over Victoria's head, "here you go."

"Gee, thanks," Victoria snipes sarcastically as a glob of shampoo falls forward and slides down her face, narrowly missing her eye.

"You're welcome," Chloe winks, her shit-eating grin making an appearance.

Victoria fights her hardest not to die at the sight of it, keeping her face serious and her wits about her instead.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Where's Nathan?" Victoria asks, her eyes searching the room in hopes of seeing him passed out asleep somewhere amongst the trash and few fellow party goers that are left.

"He left last night after your fight," Courtney says from behind a make-up mirror she's holding out in front of her face.

"Fuck!" Victoria snaps, the volume of her voice causing Courtney to jump and nearly fall from the bar stool she's sat on. The make-up mirror, however, falls and smashes against the kitchen tiles.

"Shit, V, my mirror!" Courtney cries out, before standing to reach down and pick it up.

Courtney quickly realises the silence and snaps her head up to see Victoria looking down at her with a stern look and her hands on her hips.

"Seven years bad luck, you know?" Courtney giggles nervously, before standing and crossing her arms defensively in front of Victoria.

"Oh, bite me," Victoria snaps, "I'll buy you a new one. Do you know where Taylor is?"

"She had to leave early this morning because she's visiting her Mom again. Why? What's the problem?"

"The problem is Nathan and I came here together. He was my ride back to Blackwell," Victoria sighs, slumping against the side of the kitchen counter.

"Oh, right," Courtney says, "you know I would give you a ride, but I promised Sarah I'd stay and help her clean up. Then we're going out for lunch after."

"Right, whatever, it's fine," Victoria says with a roll of her eyes, before turning to leave, being sure not to trip or slip on any of the trash strewn about.

Standing on the front porch, Victoria contemplates her next moves whilst letting her eyes roam over the mess on the front lawn. Staying to help clean up is definitely not an option for her. This shit is going to take hours.

Pulling her phone out from her handbag, she types up a quick text.

Victoria: Thanks for leaving me here, asshole.

Sighing to herself, Victoria thinks she may as well at least ask what she's doing...

Victoria: Hey, have you left yet?

God, this is really pathetic. Turning to her for help after that fucking embarrassment before. Victoria supposes she could get public transport, but the thought alone horrifies her. Moving towards the railing of the porch, Victoria hears her phone go off and feels her heartbeat increase slightly.

Nathan: shit vic im sorry. I can come get u if u want?

Victoria sighs loudly and leans over the railing slightly.

Victoria: No. I'll be fine, no thanks to you.

"In answer to your question, no, I haven't."

The sudden sound of someone speaking makes Victoria jump, causing her to lose grip on her phone which falls over the side of the railing.

"Ow."

"Price?!" Victoria asks, looking down to see Chloe sat against the side of the porch, stroking her head where the phone must have landed.

"Yeah," Chloe squints, looking up at Victoria from where she's sat, "thanks for the concussion to my already existing one, by the way."

Victoria snorts and makes her way down and round the side to where Chloe is sat.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Oh, you know, just sobering up with some fresh air before I leave," Chloe says.

"You're smoking," Victoria points out, watching as Chloe exhales a small plume of smoke.

Chloe just raises an eyebrow and a middle finger in reply.

"I need a ride back to Blackwell," Victoria says, crossing her arms across her chest.

"That's nice," Chloe smiles, taking another drag from her cigarette.

"Ugh, come on, you know what I mean," Victoria snaps.

"You could try asking nicely, you know?"

Victoria scoffs and rolls her eyes, but Chloe stays unmoving, moving the cigarette around inbetween her fingers instead.

"Fine," Victoria sighs, "can you please give me a ride back to Blackwell?"

"No," Chloe snorts.

"Why not?" Victoria snaps.

"What's in it for me?" Chloe asks, before taking a final drag and flicking her cigarette away.

Victoria pauses for a second and shakes her head in disbelief at the hot mess in front of her when a thought comes to her.

"Breakfast," Victoria says.

Chloe looks up and cocks her head to the side, shielding some of the sun from her eyes so she can see Victoria's face better. Victoria looks serious and that's enough for Chloe to slowly push herself up from the ground.

"Cigarettes, too, I hope," Chloe smirks, "I'm all out."

"Maybe that's for the best," Victoria retorts.

"I guess walking back is also for the best then, too," Chloe says casually as she brushes past Victoria and makes her way towards the street.

"Fine!" Victoria calls after her, picking up her own pace so that she's stood by Chloe, "I'll get you cigarettes, too."

"Awesome, my truck's this way," Chloe smirks, gesturing further up the street as she does.

The walk to Chloe's truck is a silent one, but Victoria can't help stealing side glances at Chloe. The cut on her eyebrow has scabbed over again, but a nasty bruise has now formed around it, too. The sight reminds Victoria of the nasty bruise on Chloe's side and she feels her heart sink slightly. Her and Nathan were going to have a serious talk at some point, once she was done being pissed off with him.

"Your truck looks worse in daylight," Victoria snorts as they approach the parked truck.

"Same could be said for you," Chloe snorts back, before turning to make her way around to the driver's side.

Victoria is ready to fire back with a witty remark of her own, but she catches Chloe stumble slightly and lean against the truck briefly.

"Are you even fit to fucking drive, Price?" Victoria asks.

"I'm fine," Chloe snaps, rummaging for her keys in her pocket, before accidentally dropping them.

"That's real cute," Victoria says, quickly making her way around and snatching the keys up from the ground before Chloe can, "but I'm not dying in this truck and definitely not with you."

"Hey-" Chloe starts.

"Shut up and get in," Victoria snaps, unlocking the driver's side door and getting in before Chloe can argue.

Chloe gawps at Victoria for a moment, but quickly moves around to the passenger side and hops in out of fear of her driving off without her.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Chloe snipes.

"It's a stick shift," Victoria says, staring down at the clutch pedal by her feet.

"Well, no shit. We can't all afford forty thousand dollar cars that drive themselves." Chloe spits, "Just get out and let me drive."

"No, I can do this! I've been to Europe lots of times," Victoria snaps, shoving the key into the ignition.

Chloe stares dumbfounded at Victoria. "What the fuck does that even mean?!"

"It means I can drive a stick, okay?!"

Victoria pushes down on the clutch and puts the truck into first, before releasing the handbrake and pressing down on the gas pedal. The truck suddenly jerks violently forward and stalls when she eases off the clutch too quickly, causing Chloe to be thrown slightly forward, almost hitting her head against the dashboard.

An awkward silence fills the truck. Chloe sits shaking her head in disbelief, whilst Victoria awkwardly stares ahead, her face bright red.

"So... Is that how they drive in Europe?" Chloe asks, a deadpan look on her face.

Victoria turns to look at her with a 'fuck you' face, before starting the truck again.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .

"I feel sick," Chloe groans, stretching her limbs as she she steps out of the truck.

"Shut up, it wasn't that bad," Victoria snaps, moving her way around to the passenger side where Chloe is stood.

"You stalled six times and nearly got us killed twice," Chloe retorts, snatching the keys from Victoria's hand.

"We're here aren't we?!"

"I had to help you shift gears."

"Whatthefuckever," Victoria scoffs, turning to make her way towards the Two Whales Diner.

"Just for that I'm ordering the most expensive stuff," Chloe says.

"Nothing here is expensive. This place is a fucking dive," Victoria sighs, opening the door for her and Chloe to enter.

"Then why were you here?" Chloe asks, before strolling towards her usual booth.

"The others like the food here. I don't know why," Victoria replies, taking a seat opposite Chloe.

"Probably because my Mom cooks a lot of it," Chloe smiles smugly behind a menu.

Victoria rolls her eyes whilst Chloe is distracted picking out what she wants.

"Makes sense your Mom would work here," Victoria mumbles.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe asks, slamming her menu down and making Victoria jump.

"Nothing, it's just you're here a lot," Victoria frowns.

"Stalking me now, too?"

"No!" Victoria glowers defensively.

A little too defensively.

"Right, that explains why I saw you watching me outside Blackwell the other day when I dropped Rach off," Chloe rebukes.

Victoria can feel herself starting to sweat under Chloe's interrogative stare. Her hand busies itself drawing circles on the inside of her other palm under the table, wondering how she should approach this.

"I didn't know you were going to be there," Victoria says.

"Whatever. I'm hungry."

Chloe motions for the waitress to come over to their booth. She proceeds to purposely order more food than she's capable of eating. At least that's what Victoria thinks, who's staring silently at her with her mouth slightly open.

"Do you want anything?" Chloe asks, snapping Victoria back from her staring trance.

"Erm," Victoria clears her throat, "I'll just have a coffee, black."

The waitress takes their menus and moves away to another table. Chloe sits back and spreads out, her arms hanging off the back of the booth. She glances around the diner and remembers Joyce has the day off today. Probably just as well, she doesn't want to explain Victoria to her. Turning her attention back to said blonde sat in front of her, Chloe notices Victoria is busying herself with wiping the table down with a napkin. Or a wet wipe. Who knows, who cares. Chloe rolls her eyes and sighs, turning to look outside the window instead. The sun is shining down on the lighthouse in the distance and thoughts of Max enter her mind. What the fuck even was that last night? It was nothing. It's only because she was recently stalking Max on social media, that's all. Right?

Right.

"What the fuck are you even doing right now?" Chloe snaps, noticing Victoria is now wiping down the cutlery too.

"Do they even clean here? I swear I saw a cockroach before," Victoria says, her head still lowered and her eyes focused on the task.

"You're hella paranoid," Chloe sighs, sprawling her legs out and kicking Victoria slightly under the table.

"And you're hella irritating, but here we are," Victoria mocks, adding extra emphasis on the 'hella'.

Chloe grunts and shifts in her seat, looking down and flicking at her nails.

"So, what do you do exactly? Besides selling drugs," Victoria asks, resting her elbows on the table and her head in her hands.

"Not a lot, why?" Chloe asks in reply, her face uninterested and looking down at her nails still.

"You spend a lot of time with Rachel," Victoria says, shifting slightly in her seat.

"Yeah, so?"

"Why?"

"Why not?" Chloe retorts, snapping her head up to scowl at Victoria.

"How come she wasn't at the party last night?"

"She's vsiting family out of town," Chloe sighs, moving her hand to fidget with her fork.

"Right," Victoria nods, being sure not to give herself away that she doesn't believe a word of that.

"Why are you so obsessed with Rachel?"

"I'm not!" Victoria frowns.

"Seems that way," Chloe smirks, knocking her fork against the table.

"I just don't get why you like her is all," Victoria says.

"Good thing it's not for you to get," Chloe replies.

Victoria is just about to push the topic further when the waitress makes her way over with their order and interrupts them. The next ten minutes are spent in silence as Victoria stares in awe as Chloe puts away a plate loaded with extra bacon and eggs, toast and two cups of coffee. Victoria is only halfway through her single coffee by the time Chloe leans back again and lets out a burp.

"Ugh," Victoria scoffs, "you eat like you've never been fed."

"I'm aware," Chloe says, flashing her shit-eating grin.

"Gross," Victoria says.

"So, what do you do then?" Chloe asks, finally leaning forward in her seat for the first time since getting here.

"Oh, what? Now you feel like talking?"

"I'm always in a more talkative mood after a meal," Chloe snorts, taking a sip of her coffee.

"I don't do anything, I just go to Blackwell," Victoria answers, leaning forward in her seat, too.

"Oh yeah, I forgot your Daddy pays for everything for you," Chloe says, running a finger around the rim of her cup.

"It's the least he could do for never being around," Victoria mutters, a small frown forming on her face as she looks down into her lap.

"At least you have a dad," Chloe says, her brows furrowing.

"What?" Victoria asks, looking up to meet Chloe's stare.

"My dad died when I was fourteen," Chloe says, her face scrunching up.

Victoria stays silent and staring. She can see a sadness in Chloe's eyes she's never seen before. It doesn't feel good to see it and she doesn't know what to say in response.

"Oh," Victoria mutters, "I'm sorry."

"S'fine. Why don't you see your dad?" Chloe asks, quickly changing the subject.

"Him and my Mom are always busy with work. They always have been. I hardly saw them when I was living with them, too."

"Least you guys have money, though, right? My Mom and Step-shit are always working, too, but like that makes a fucking difference."

"Step-shit?"

Chloe lets out a small chuckle and leans back in her seat again, draping her arms over the back of the booth again.

"Yeah, David Madsen. Head of security at Blackhell."

"That's your step-dad?!" Victoria asks, shock clear on her face. "That guy is such an asshole and his moustache gives me the creeps," Victoria feigns a shudder.

"Tell me about it," Chloe laughs, nodding her head in agreement.

Victoria lets out a small laugh of her own and takes a sip of her coffee, savouring the sound of Chloe's laughter. Not the taste of the coffee – it tastes like burnt horse manure.

"Wow, I feel sort of sorry for you," Victoria says, shooting Chloe a small apologetic smile.

"S'fine, I feel sorry for myself enough," Chloe replies, shaking her head slightly, "I swear if I wasn't already kicked out of Blackhell, he'd find a way to make it happen. Dude hates me as much as I hate him."

"Why did you get kicked out?"

"Ditching mainly and my grades dropped," Chloe sighs, "Turns out finding decent work in a hick-hole town such as this is hard when you were kicked out of a prestigious school."

Chloe rolls her eyes and takes a sip of her coffee. Victoria can't help but smile.

"Is that why you help Frank?"

"Yeah," Chloe says, placing her coffee down and cracking her knuckles, "easy money. Plus, I kinda owe him."

"What do you mean?" Victoria asks, her interest piqued.

"Nothing, it's a long story. Just something that happened years ago," Chloe says.

"Oh."

"Plus, even if I wanted to tell you, I can't trust you to keep your mouth shut, anyway."

"I can keep secrets," Victoria frowns.

Chloe doesn't say anything, noticing Victoria's frown, she just shrugs and looks out the window at the lighthouse again. Victoria notices her eyes growing sad again when she does and she can't help but wonder what she's thinking about everytime she looks at it. After a minute or two, Chloe turns back to see Victoria silently staring at her in a strange way and it gives her a funny feeling in her stomach.

"Anyway, I should probably take you back to Blackhell now," Chloe says, clearing her throat as she does.

It takes Victoria a moment to process that Chloe has just spoken to her.

"Oh, right, yeah," Victoria says, pulling out a small wad of cash from her purse and placing it on the table.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The drive back to Blackwell is a silent and calm one, especially with Chloe driving this time. Unbeknownst to Chloe, Victoria keeps stealing side glances at her and unbeknownst to Victoria, Chloe is doing the same at her. The silence would be an awkward one if they weren't both content with not talking to one another. Chloe is exhausted and the pain on her eyebrow is coming back around again. Victoria couldn't help feeling guilty every time she looked at it when sat opposite Chloe before.

Both girls also can't help feeling confusion over the fact they've spent the morning together for a non-sexual or drunken reason and they've both made it out alive and no worse off for it. What the fuck is that about?

Pulling up outside of Blackwell, Chloe brings the truck to a stop and looks over at Victoria.

"Thanks," Victoria says, reaching down to grab her handbag.

"Thanks for breakfast," Chloe nods, turning to look away and waiting for Victoria to get out.

After a moment or two, Chloe notices she still hasn't heard Victoria open the door to leave and looks back at her, just to see her sat looking back at her.

"Look," Victoria starts, "I know I can be a huge bitch, but-."

Chloe interrupts her with a loud snort and a shake of her head.

"But," Victoria carries on, ignoring Chloe, "you can always talk to me if you need to."

Chloe's face turns into a serious one after hearing those words and she sits staring down at her hands, nodding her head slowly.

"Right. See ya, Chase," Chloe says, shooting Victoria a small half-smile.

Victoria shoots back her best-bitch smile, though it looks slightly more friendly this time, before moving to open the door and get out.

"Later, Kari!"

Chloe sits there blinking for a moment, before looking ahead, pulling away and speeding off.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The walk back to the dormitories had been a quiet one, what with it having been early on a Sunday morning. Most students would have either been hungover and/or still sleeping. Victoria had smiled the whole way back to her room and was grateful no one was around to stop and ask why or see her. She had felt stupid, but she couldn't help it, either. She had left Chloe feeling more positive, despite the events from the previous night.

Now, though, all she can feel is tense and on edge.

It's getting late and approaching evening, she's pacing around her room. Waiting. Victoria texted Nathan not long before to come meet her so they could talk. She's not sure what she's going to say exactly, but they can't just go on being friends without talking about it, either.

Nathan had said he'd be over in five minutes, but it's been a lot longer and Victoria feels herself growing more and more impatient. She just wants to get this over with so she can go about her usual business and forget about it.

Running a hand down one of her arms, she stops pacing and faces her desk. Picking up her phone, she types out a quick and simple message to Nathan telling him to hurry the fuck up and asking what's taking him so long. The boy's dormitories aren't far, after all.

Placing her phone back down, she eyes the drawer to her desk briefly, biting her lip as she does. Moving her hand from her phone, she lets it wander over to the handle and opens it. Her drawer of mementos may as well be empty, save for a single cigarette, which is all she now sees. It's tucked in-between two other items that Victoria doesn't even process or care to. Lost in thoughts, she starts to stroke the cigarette with the tip of her index finger and before long, she's twirling it around her fingers in her hand, almost as if in a trance. Holding it sparks memories of Chloe and her smell, a musky cigarette smell with hints of pot and some sort of deodorant she wears. That sort of smell would usually make Victoria gag, but not when it comes to Chloe Price. What the fuck has she gotten herself into?! Victoria never feels this way about anyone. Ever. But she feels too far gone to really care about it anymore. She certainly never saw this coming, but now it has, she doesn't want to put a stop to it. She probably should, though, but she knows she won't. It's almost like it's addictive. Now she's had a taste, she can't help wanting more. Victoria's started finding herself wishing, or more like hoping, Chloe will start feeling the same in return. Chances are, she won't, though. Victoria isn't a fool, she knows Chloe still has a hard on for that slut, Amber. But who knows, maybe with time-

Loud knocks at her door cause Victoria to jump and drop the cigarette from her hand, where it rolls under her desk somewhere.

"Shit," Victoria sighs, quickly slamming the desk drawer shut and making her way over to the door.

Opening the door, she finds Nathan leaning against the door frame, looking strung out and exhausted, with large, dark bags under his eyes.

"Are you high?" Victoria snaps.

"Maybe, why does it matter?" Nathan snaps in return, barging past Victoria.

Victoria shakes her head and slowly closes the door, mentally collecting herself before facing Nathan.

Nathan has already made himself comfortable on her sofa and is sat restlessly shaking his knee up and down, his eyes blinking rapidly.

"You know why I asked you to come see me, right?" Victoria asks, choosing to sit on her desk chair instead, which she turns to face him.

Nathan's face softens and his frown is suddenly replaced with a saddened expression. He turns in his seat to face Victoria head on, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees.

"Shit, Vic, I'm sorry about last night. You know I didn't mean it, right?"

"That doesn't mean it didn't still happen, Nate!"

"I know," Nathan nods, placing his head in his hands, "but I don't know what else to say or do."

"You get really fucking weird and aggressive when you've been drinking like that," Victoria sighs, running a hand through her hair.

"If it wasn't for that bitch, Price, nothing would have happened!" Nathan suddenly erupts, standing from his seat.

Victoria quickly angers at his words and throws herself up off her seat, too, glaring at Nathan as she does.

"If it wasn't for her, FUCK KNOWS what would have happened!" Victoria shouts, throwing her arms out.

"Oh, please, like I would have done anything to you," Nathan spits.

"Well it really didn't seem that way at the time!"

Nathan just stares back at Victoria, silently searching her face, his mind thinking things over. After a few moments, his face once again softens and he lets out an audible sigh, before sinking back down in his seat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," Nathan mumbles, looking down in his lap.

"You really freaked me the fuck out, Nathan," Victoria says, her voice low, "and you really hurt Chloe."

"I'm sorry for what I did to you, but not to that blue haired, whore," Nathan snaps, shaking his head.

"She was only trying to help get you off of me!" Victoria shouts.

Nathan just grunts and leans his head back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Victoria asks, crossing her arms against her chest.

"First Rachel, now you, too," Nathan mutters, the muscle in his jaw protruding as he clenches and unclenches it.

"What?"

"What's so fucking great about that piece of trash?" Nathan asks, snapping his head back down to look at Victoria.

"Does it matter?!" Victoria snipes, her brows furrowing in anger.

Nathan just grunts again and looks away, choosing to stay silent.

"The point is, you need to get some fucking help," Victoria says, moving over to lean against her desk. She's not comfortable enough to sit back down again, her whole body now even more tense than it was before.

Nathan snorts and shakes his head, his hands clenching into fists in his lap as his knee starts to bounce restlessly up and down again.

"You said you would," Victoria says with her head lowered looking at the floor.

"I know," Nathan sighs.

"You've been acting really fucking strange lately. What's going on?"

"That's none of your business, okay?" Nathan spits. "The same could be said for you!"

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Since when do you hang around and fuck trailer trash?"

Victoria looks up and stares coldly back at Nathan, her gaze unwavering.

"It's pathetic," Nathan says, holding Victoria's stare.

Victoria feels a painful tugging sensation in her chest at Nathan's words and looks away, remaining silent. What the fuck does he know? He's high as fuck right now and isn't thinking straight. He's always like this lately, it's been getting worse and worse the past few weeks.

Nathan can't help but notice Victoria's saddened and thoughtful expression. They've been close friends for years now and she's the only one who has truly stuck by him through things. He doesn't want to lose their friendship.

"Shit," Nathan sighs, getting up from his seat and making his way over to Victoria.

Victoria still has her arms crossed across her chest and she visibly flinches when Nathan places his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him.

"I'm sorry," Nathan mumbles, "you're right. I'll talk to my Dad about getting some help or something. I promise."

Victoria just nods and looks down at the floor, not knowing what to say after that.

"I promise," Nathan repeats, "I'm going to talk to someone and it won't happen again."

"Okay," Victoria breathes, nodding her head some more.

"I really am sorry, Vic, I didn't mean to hurt or upset you," Nathan says, rubbing his hand up and down Victoria's arm.

Victoria looks up at Nathan and meets his gaze. She can see his eyes have gone slightly misty.

"It's fine," Victoria says, "just, never again, okay? Or we're done. I can't be around you when you're like that."

"I swear, never again," Nathan nods. "Hug it out?"

Victoria isn't much in the mood for a hug from Nathan, but she also doesn't want to stay angry with him, either.

Uncrossing her arms, Victoria drapes them around Nathan, who pulls her into a hug. Victoria notices he smells of expensive aftershave but can't place the brand. The smell is so strong, it's almost nauseating. If they hadn't just argued, she would comment on it and tell him to change his choice, but she doesn't have the energy for that right now.

After several moments of resting her head against Nathan's shoulder, he steps back, releasing her and causing her arms to fall by her side.

"So... We good?" Nathan asks, his eyes searching Victoria's face, hopeful.

"For now, yeah," Victoria sighs, "but I want to see you getting help, okay?"

"Okay," Nathan smiles.

A brief and almost awkward silence fills the room.

"And leave Chloe alone from now on," Victoria adds, shooting Nathan a serious and penetrating look. The sort of look that can cause a person's blood to run cold.

Nathan has never seen that look coming from Victoria before. Well, he's seen her give it to others, but he's never been on the receiving end of it. He doesn't know what to make of it and he doesn't want another argument so he just slowly nods in return. That punk bitch just better not get in his way again, though.

"I gotta get going," Nathan says, pulling his phone from his pocket to check the time.

"Alright."

Victoria side steps Nathan and makes her way towards the door, opening it for him to leave.

"I'll talk to you soon, I guess," Victoria says, forcing a smile in Nathan's direction.

"Sure," Nathan agrees, before giving Victoria's arm a small squeeze and leaving.

With the door closed behind him, Victoria lets out a long and shaky sigh, whilst leaning against the door with her arms hugging into herself.

That could have gone better, but it also could have gone worse. Victoria is just glad it's over. For now. Assuming Nathan wasn't lying about getting some sort of help for his recent behaviours.

Victoria could really use a drink to take the edge off, though, but she's forgotten to buy more wine after finishing her last bottle last night, before the party during pre-gaming.

"Fuck," Victoria breathes, knocking her head slightly against the door in frustration.

Pushing herself off with her shoulder, she makes her way over to her phone and begins to dial.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chloe is lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling and wishing she wasn't. Most of the day has been spent sleeping and recovering from the previous evening, so now she's not even close to tired.

When she had gotten home earlier in the day, David was working and her Mom was out doing the grocery shopping. It gave her the much needed alone time without having to explain where she'd been all night and what the fuck is up with her face. Speaking of which, her face is really not looking that great. The cut isn't as bad as she had first thought, but the gnarly bruise around it and her eye begs to differ. Chloe had done her best to cover it up with make-up. It would have been easier if Rachel was back from her trip to do it for her, though. The day after they had first met, Rachel had covered a bruise on her face with make-up for her in Blackwell's drama room. Chloe had gotten mouthy with two guys at the Old Mill and one of them had landed a hook to her face after she had bottled his friend over the head. Good times.

Chuckling to herself and taking a drag from her cigarette, she watches the plume of smoke float towards the ceiling on her exhale, keeping an eye for any shapes forming. The hi-fi is currently drowning out any outside noises with songs by Against Me!, leaving Chloe alone with her thoughts, undisturbed.

A small sound is heard and a vibration felt by her side somewhere. Without looking, Chloe uses her free hand to pat around her sides on the bed in blind pursuit of her phone. Failing to feel for it, Chloe groans and rolls her eyes, resigning herself to having to move and actually look for where it is. Finding it further up the bed, just out of her reach, Chloe rolls slightly and retrieves it, before opening up her conversation with Rachel.

Chloe: Hey, how's the visit going?

Chloe: When are you back btw? I'm hella fucking bored

Rachel: Hey, yeah, it's going great. I'm not back until much later tonight or in the early hours of tomorrow morning. Sorry! I can meet you tomorrow after class?

Chloe sulks to herself at Rachel's message. She'd been secretly hoping Rachel would be back by now and they could hang out this evening.

Chloe: Hella lame. See you tomorrow then!

Chloe throws her phone across her bed and lays back down, taking another drag from her cigarette. Using her free hand, she starts drumming to the beat of the music against her thigh, tapping her foot up and down against the mattress. What now? She could always bake and watch a movie or something.

Casting a glance over to her shelves, she spots 'Blade Runner' perched amongst other various junk she's collected over the years. Her and Max's all-time favourite movie. Chloe can't help but wonder if it still is Max's favourite, too. So much time has passed and so many things have changed, who's to know anymore. One thing that hasn't changed is Chloe's crush on Pris, which she first discovered a few years back. Since then, though, Chloe has discovered more celebrities and their characters to crush on. All female, non-surprisingly.

Glancing around her room at her things, Chloe eyes up the various posters that decorate her walls. Smirking to herself, she wonders what Max would make of her now... And how she would react if she knew Chloe is gay. Growing up, there had been times when they'd spoken about having boyfriends when they were older. Whilst Chloe had tried to date boys, it had become abundantly clear they weren't for her after having met Rachel. She'd always felt bored in their presence and nothing about them had really excited her or held her interest and for a while, she had wondered if there was something wrong with her. Turns out, there wasn't and there still isn't, she was just busy barking up all the wrong trees, when there's perfectly great bushes all around.

'Did Max ever get around to having those boyfriends, though?' Chloe thinks, shifting her position so her free arm is resting behind her head. Max is the sort of girl who will have boys falling over her, but with her being shy and awkward, she probably wouldn't even notice. During their younger years, Max was always the worst for realising things, her nature far more naïve than Chloe's. But that's one of the things Chloe loved the most about her. It made being in her presence so much easier, knowing Max would never be the sort to cast judgements or look too hard into things. Instead Max just accepted Chloe for who she was. She was real with her. Max's innocent nature meant there was never any ulterior motives behind their friendship. They simply loved each other's company and enjoyed being the dreamers they both are, together.

So many years have passed and Chloe is still missing her. Why? Max has surely moved on. So, why can't Chloe? After all, Chloe has Rachel's friendship now. Yeah, it's gotten easier and she doesn't miss her as strongly as she did for the first couple years or so after she left for Seattle. But it's never fully gone away, either. Despite having put mementos of their time together away in drawers and boxes. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong. Such bullshit. She can't bring herself to get rid of them or burn them, though. Chloe knows she would just wind up regretting it. Max may have ditched her, but the times they shared were still good memories Chloe wants to keep hold of. Amongst all the shit memories, like William's death and Joyce marrying step-douche. Like losing her scholarship at Blackwell and, ultimately, resorting to doing fucked up jobs for Frank to make the small amount of money she does. Like all that shit with Damon, Sera and James. Yeah, it hasn't been an easy ride. Holding onto memories of before all that is all Chloe has now. Max, on the other hand, has probably done and seen amazing things since they parted ways. Having once been Chloe's friend most likely doesn't even make the Top 3 of the greatest things in her life now.

The sudden sound of heavy and rushed footsteps up the stairs alarm Chloe and she quickly sits up, putting her cigarette out, before wiping a few escaped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

David suddenly barges in, without knocking, a scowl firmly set on the moustache he calls a face.

"Chloe, what have I told you about blasting this shit?!" David yells, making his way over to the hi-fi where he aggressively jabs a button, bringing the music to an abrupt stop.

"What the fuck, dude?!" Chloe frowns, standing up from her bed and crossing her arms against her chest. "How about how many times have I told you to knock first?!"

"Your mother and I are downstairs trying to watch TV and all we can hear is this shit in the background!" David continues to shout, his hands now planted on his hips and his eyes staring Chloe down.

"You say that like I'm supposed to give a damn about you and your TV watching needs," Chloe spits, meeting David's unwavering gaze and moving closer.

"Not just me, your mother, too!"

"Exactly, MY mother," Chloe retorts, moving over to the hi-fi to turn the music back on.

Before she has a chance to, though, she feels a sudden stinging and burning sensation spread rapidly across her cheek, the sound of a back-handed slap ringing through her ears. It causes her to stumble backwards and she trips over a box on her bedroom floor, falling back, flat on her ass. Chloe lifts a hand to her cheek and tries to soothe the pain from it, a small tear escaping the corner of her eye on the side David's hand connected.

"Christ, Chloe! When are you going to get some God damn respect?!" David sighs, shaking his head. "And if you cleaned up your room once in a while, you wouldn't have shit to trip over like that! I've seen war zones that are tidier than this!"

"When are you?!" Chloe shouts, snapping her head to look up at David, her voice cracking slightly.

"Grow up!" David frowns. "I served for this country!"

"I didn't fucking ask you to," Chloe scowls. "And you're not my fucking dad!"

"Watch your language! Whether you like it or not, I'm your mother's husband and I live here. I deserve some God damn respect!"

"Whatever," Chloe spits, looking down at her lap, her hand still soothing over her cheek.

"Keep that shit turned down or turned off, you hear?" David commands.

"Sir, yes, sir," Chloe says mockingly, flipping David the bird from her position on the floor with her free hand.

David just grunts and turns to leave, before stopping to look back at Chloe.

"Tidy your room, too, while you're at it."

Before Chloe has a chance to say anything in response, David slams the door shut behind him and his heavy footsteps can be heard descending the stairs.

"Asshole," Chloe mutters, slowly pushing herself up from the floor, groaning as she does.

The hard fall has caused the pain in her side to spark back up again. Thankfully, David slapped the side of her face that isn't already fucked up. Not so thankfully, now both sides of her face are fucked up. Chloe can tell that slap is going to leave a red mark for a while. She just hopes it doesn't bruise. Rachel is going to be wondering if she can trust to leave Chloe alone for a couple of days again when she sees her otherwise.

Taking a couple of steps towards her bed, Chloe lets herself flop down face first onto it, despite the pain it brings.

"Fuck!" Chloe screams, the sheets and mattress muffling her.

After a few moments, Chloe has calmed her breathing and her body has stopped shaking. She reaches out and grabs her phone, hitting the button to light up her screen. It's only 7.12pm.

'No Rachel... No Max... No one,' Chloe thinks, sighing to herself.

It's times like these Chloe wishes she had been better at making and keeping friends. But in all honesty, Max had always been more than enough for her. And now Rachel, too. Steph was around for a while after she had met Rachel, but she had moved with family to San Francisco after that school year finished.

Chloe's phone sounds and lights up, alerting her to a new message. Hopefully Rachel has decided to return earlier than expected.

Swiping her screen, Chloe opens the message.

Victoria: Hey. Do you know where Frank is? He's not answering any of my texts or calls.

Chloe sighs, the feeling of disappointment taking over at seeing it's not Rachel. She types out a reply, anyway.

Chloe: Yeah, he's out of town. Dunno where

Victoria: Oh. Shit.

Chloe: Why?

Victoria: I wanted to get something off him.

Chloe: Wasn't last night's partying enough for you?

Victoria: It's not that. It's just for me.

Chloe frowns at her screen. What's up with Victoria that she's looking to buy off Frank?

Chloe: What do you need?

Victoria: Not sure. Just something. Anything.

Chloe: Everything ok?

Victoria: Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be fine. I'll just ask around. Thanks, Kari.

Chloe taps the side of her phone with her finger, wondering whether she should reply or not. Wondering whether it will come across as weird or not. Wondering if the offer will be rejected. But, she can't bear being in this house anymore, especially after all that with David. Even if she can get out for an hour or so, it's better than nothing. Shaking her head to herself, she decides to go for it.

Chloe: I have some weed to spare, if you're down?

Chloe thinks she's going to have to anxiously wait for a reply that will leave her regretting sending hers in the first place. But, to her surprise, Victoria responds within a minute or so.

Victoria: Yes. If you can score some booze, too, that would be great.

Chloe: That bad a night, eh?

Victoria: It could be worse.

Chloe: How so?

Victoria: I could stay without booze or drugs.

Chloe: Lol k

Chloe: Be round in 30

Victoria: Sweet.

Pushing herself up from the bed, Chloe makes her way over to the closet. She throws on a pair of black ripped jeans, a plain black tank-top and a red plaid shirt, before sitting down to put some combat boots on.

Standing up, she turns to check herself out in the mirror and moves closer to inspect her face, too. She was right. David's slap has left a red mark across it. Shit.

Chloe sighs and touches up some of her make-up where it's smudged, before grabbing some things from her desk. Keys? Check. Wallet? Check. Fake ID? Double check. She turns to leave and makes it to her door, before quickly spinning around and walking back over to her bed.

"Dumbass," Chloe mumbles to herself, picking up her almost forgotten cigarettes and weed.

Feeling like she hasn't forgotten anything else, Chloe leaves and skips steps on the way down, eager to get the fuck out of there. She doesn't bother saying anything to Joyce and David, before shutting the front door behind her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chloe is surprised when Victoria opens the door for her, only to find her wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a slightly baggy, plain, white t-shirt. If anything, for the first time ever, Chloe feels overdressed. Victoria doesn't notice her surprise, though, instead she just eagerly takes the pack of beer from Chloe's hands and moves to the side to let her in, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Erm, are you feeling okay?" Chloe asks, her eyebrows raised as she looks Victoria over.

"I'm fine. Why?" Victoria responds, closing the door behind Chloe, who awkwardly stands in the middle of the room.

"Since when does Victoria Chase wear sweats and a tee?" Chloe laughs, tucking her hands in her pockets to stop them fidgeting.

"Oh," Victoria says quietly, looking down at herself.

Chloe can sense the building self-consciousness and quickly intervenes. She hadn't meant anything bad by it.

"It's nice," Chloe says, clearing her throat slightly.

"Really?" Victoria asks, peering up at Chloe, her face showing uncertainty.

"Yeah, it's a nice change from the usual shit you wear. Now you don't have to get mad at me if I spill something on you," Chloe jokes with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

"Right, these sweats still cost two hundred dollars, though," Victoria scoffs, returning to her usual and confident self. "No surprise with what you've chosen to wear," she adds, eyeing Chloe up and down.

Chloe follows Victoria's gaze and glances down at herself, rocking back on her heels slightly as does, hands still in her pockets.

"I guess not," Chloe says, shooting Victoria her shit-eating grin.

Victoria shoots her best bitch smile in return, before sitting down on the sofa and opening one of the beers. Chloe stands awkwardly and watches as Victoria chugs it back, emptying the beer by half at least. Chloe can't help feeling impressed. She never even pegged Victoria for the sort of girl who could drink beer, let alone slam it back with ease.

"Are you going to sit down and join me, or are you going to just stand there and watch me like a creeper?" Victoria asks, snapping Chloe back from her thoughts.

"Oh, right, yeah," Chloe says, shaking her head, before making her way over to sit next to Victoria.

Sinking down in her seat, Chloe anxiously pats her thighs, wondering what to say or do next. This is weird. Usually when around Victoria, it's been for the purpose of sex or at a party etc. Now, though, it's different. Or at least, it feels different.

Victoria is sat quietly, her body turned to face Chloe. She can sense Chloe feels on edge, too. More so, even. Scanning over her, Victoria notices a red mark on the side of Chloe's face, the side that wasn't already occupied by the marks of Nathan's beating. Victoria's eyebrow raises at the sight.

"What happened to your face?"

Chloe turns to look at Victoria and lets out a small laugh. "Shit, Chase, how wasted were you? You were there, remember?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Price. I'm talking about the other side. Your cheek is red."

"Oh," Chloe mutters.

Shit. Chloe had hoped Victoria wouldn't notice.

"I dunno," Chloe stalls. "I-I guess it's kinda hot in here. Maybe we should open a window? Just as well if we're going to be toking up in here, anyway."

Chloe quickly stands and moves over towards Victoria's window, before opening it and letting in a cool, evening breeze. The sensation feels soothing against her face, her cheek in particular. Chloe stays facing away and reaches into her pocket for her cigarettes, hoping this is enough for Victoria to drop the subject and move on.

Victoria watches as Chloe stays by the window and lights up one of her cigarettes, taking a long, deep drag. Chloe is lying, it's not even that warm out tonight. What the fuck happened now? Victoria chooses to stay silent and continues to watch Chloe.

Chloe can feel Victoria's eyes burning a hole into her back. Taking another drag, she turns to look over at her.

"What?" Chloe asks, frowning slightly.

"You're a really bad liar, Price. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Chloe just grunts in response and faces the window again, choosing to ignore Victoria. Victoria takes the final swig from her beer, finishing it, before crushing it in her hand. Standing from her seat, she silently walks up to Chloe, who hasn't even noticed she's moved. Victoria places her hand gently on Chloe's lower back, causing the blue haired, punk to flinch at the unexpected contact and turn to face Victoria.

Chloe's eyebrows furrow in confusion as Victoria glances up at her. Both girls remain silent, though. Chloe's face softens, however, when she feels Victoria's raised hand slowly tracing a fingertip down her reddened cheek and then along her jaw line.

"What are you doing?" Chloe whispers, though she doesn't move away from Victoria's hand.

"What aren't you telling me?" Victoria whispers in response, searching Chloe's face, before looking back to where her fingertip is left resting.

"It's nothing," Chloe says, moving her head away, rejecting Victoria's touch.

Victoria moves her arm so it's by her side again and silently looks Chloe in the eyes, instead. Chloe holds her stare briefly, before taking another drag from her cigarette and turning away towards the window. Victoria mentally decides to drop it. For now. Whatever it is, it seems recent. Fresh. Chloe is clearly not in the mood for opening up about it.

"So, wanna watch some TV while we smoke?" Victoria asks, moving back towards the sofa.

Chloe stays facing the window, enjoying the breeze... And the lack of eye contact.

"Sure," Chloe says, clearing her throat.

Victoria nods, even though Chloe can't see her and retrieves the remote from the table. Firing up Netflix, Victoria waits by grabbing herself another beer and taking a swig. The home page lights up on the screen, revealing a bunch of movies for her and Chloe to choose from.

"What do you want to watch?" Victoria asks.

Chloe takes a final drag before tossing her cigarette out the window and turns to move back over to the sofa.

"I dunno, anything. A comedy, maybe?" Chloe replies, grabbing herself a beer.

"Okay," Victoria says, browsing the comedy section.

Chloe takes a seat next to her and removes her plaid shirt, before reaching into her pocket and bringing out a baggie and some papers. Taking a quick sip of her beer, she sets about rolling up a joint for herself and Victoria. By the time she's finished rolling, Victoria already has a movie playing for the both of them. Chloe lights up and takes a drag, then passes it to Victoria, who accepts it with a small smile. Chloe returns it with a small smile of her own.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

For the first half hour or so of the movie, both girls sit in silence watching it, smoking and drinking. They share the occasional laugh at some scenes, but Chloe is finding it difficult to focus on the plot. Victoria seems far more relaxed than her, but she's also on her third beer, whilst Chloe is only on her second. Chloe can't help wondering why Victoria seems so different from her usual bitchy self. It's kind of unnerving. She's never seen this sort of side to the girl before. She can't help but also wonder if anyone else knows such a side actually exists. Regardless, it's also nice to be able to just sit and not have to deal with her usual bitchy and uptight attitude.

Chloe keeps stealing side-glances at Victoria. She's sat leaning slightly closer towards Chloe, with her legs tucked to the side of her on the sofa, a beer in hand and a small smile on her face. Chloe feels like she's trippin' serious balls right now, despite the fact Victoria smoked more than her. Is she really sat watching a movie with Victoria Chase right now? What the fuck would Rachel think if she knew? Even worse... What would Rachel think if she knew that Chloe wasn't not okay with this? It certainly beats being at home with step-prick lurking about.

Chloe sinks lower in her seat and takes a swig from her beer, doing her best to just relax and enjoy the moment instead of questioning it. Something funny happens on screen which causes Victoria to laugh. Chloe steals another side-glance. This movie is the sort of movie people like Victoria wouldn't usually watch. It's not even close to being pretentious for a start. Surely snobs like Victoria enjoy watching those art films that bore people like Chloe to death? Chloe raises her eyebrows briefly at the thought and takes another swig. Maybe there's more to Victoria than she first thought.

Victoria laughs again, causing her to shift her position and lean against Chloe's shoulder. Victoria stiffens slightly when she realises, but quickly relaxes again when Chloe doesn't move or push her away and decides to rest her head on her shoulder.

Chloe is feeling even more distracted now, but not in a necessarily bad way. She can smell Victoria's shampoo. It's nice. Kind of fruity. Chloe can't quite place the smell, though, and without thinking, leans her head slightly closer to smell Victoria's hair. Victoria notices her do this and turns to look up at her, without moving her head from her shoulder.

"Did you just sniff me, Price?" Victoria asks, her eyebrows raised and the corner of her lip rising slightly in amusement.

"Uh," Chloe starts, her face forming a small blush, "y-your shampoo smells nice. What is it?"

"Quinoa and avocado," Victoria says, before moving her head to look back at the screen. "You can always just ask, though, instead of sniffing me like a freak," she adds, letting out a small chuckle.

Chloe sits blinking at Victoria's response for a few moments, not knowing what to make of it.

"Only you would wash your hair with shit people eat in a salad at them snobby restaurants," Chloe snorts, before finishing off her beer.

Victoria stays silent and sips from her beer instead, making herself comfortable by leaning even more against Chloe. She can't help smiling to herself because she's been sat enjoying Chloe's smell, too, which is far from quinoa and avocado. More like smoke and cheap fabric conditioner. But Victoria doesn't care, the smell is still oddly soothing to her.

Despite the movie still playing, the silence between the girls is suddenly broken when a loud growl rips through Chloe's stomach. Victoria turns to look up at Chloe again and Chloe pretends not to notice, choosing to keep her eyes on the TV.

"You okay there, Price?"

"I'm fine, why?"

"Well, I know how you eat. How long has it been since your last meal? An hour?"

"Shut up, Chase," Chloe snorts, nudging Victoria in the ribs. "It's the weed."

"Good job I prepared for this," Victoria sighs, shifting to reach something by the side of the sofa.

Chloe looks over and sees Victoria pick up a plastic bag, which she throws onto her lap.

"Alyssa keeps a stash of that junk in her room," Victoria says, returning to her leaning position against Chloe.

"Who's Alyssa again?" Chloe asks, retrieving a bunch of chips and chocolate from the bag.

"You don't want to know."

"Did you steal some unsuspecting chick's food, Chase?" Chloe asks, leaning forward slightly to get a better view of Victoria's face.

"She doesn't need it. I'm doing her a favour. Now, are you going to thank me or not?" Victoria says, glancing up at Chloe.

Chloe stares back, blinking and speechless for a few moments.

"Thanks, Alyssa," Chloe snorts, shaking her head at Victoria.

"You're welcome," Victoria smiles her best bitch smile, before turning her attention back to the TV and taking another sip of her beer.

Whilst Chloe begins to munch on the snacks Victoria stole, Victoria decides to light another joint that Chloe had previously rolled. A few minutes pass in silence, with only the noise from the movie playing in the background.

"Could you chew any louder?" Victoria pipes up suddenly.

Chloe sits looking at her with a mouth full of chocolate. Noticing that Chloe is about to try and answer, Victoria quickly interrupts her.

"Swallow that before you speak," Victoria says feigning disgust and waving her hand in the general direction of Chloe's mouth.

Chloe smirks, or attempts to anyway, but her mouth is still too full and some chocolate dribbles out onto her chin. Victoria just stares at her in disgust with her mouth agape.

"Nice," Victoria says sarcastically after an awkward and silent pause, before reaching for a tissue on the coffee table.

When she turns to give the tissue to Chloe, she sees her wipe the chocolate off with the back of her hand and swallow the rest in one big gulp. Victoria sits shaking her head in disbelief, to which Chloe smiles a smug smile and offers her the chocolate.

"It's really good," Chloe says, nudging Victoria with the chocolate.

"No, I'm good," Victoria replies, pushing the chocolate back towards Chloe.

"Oh, cmon, Chase, I know you want some," Chloe laughs, nudging Victoria with the chocolate again. "You totally wanted to lick it off my chin. I could hella see it in your eyes."

Victoria does her best to hold a serious and unimpressed face at Chloe's attempts, but after a few moments, her composure breaks at the sight of Chloe's still smug face and she finds herself laughing. Chloe laughs, too, and surprisingly, Victoria decides to take her up on the offer by taking a piece. Chloe smiles and nods her head, handing Victoria the rest of the bar, before leaning over her and taking the joint from her hand.

"Sweet trade," Chloe says with a wink at Victoria.

Victoria blushes at the sight and quickly turns her attention back to the TV, hoping Chloe didn't notice. Her view of it becomes distorted, though, as Chloe busies herself blowing thick smoke rings out in front of them. Not that it matters, Victoria has already lost focus for the movie.

"Can you teach me how to do those?" Victoria asks, moving to sit up and face Chloe.

"What? Smoke rings?"

"Yeah, what else?" Victoria says, shooting a look at Chloe as if silently asking if she's stupid.

"Shit, Chase, I'm pretty fucking high right now, I don't know how good a teacher I'll be," Chloe laughs.

Victoria just sits and stares at Chloe, admiring the way her lips look around the end of the joint and the way her eyes look cute half-lidded.

"Here," Chloe says, interrupting Victoria's silent admiration by handing her the joint. "It's hard to explain, but you basically just inhale it into your mouth. Then you sorta just use your tongue to push air out, with your lips in the shape of an O."

Victoria takes the joint off Chloe and does as instructed. Forming her mouth into an O, she attempts to push air out using her tongue. The smoke "rings", however, come out more like smoke nothings and Chloe stares silently in amazement with her mouth parted, before bursting out into laughter.

"Your mouth looks like it's wrapped around an invisible guy's dick," Chloe snorts, visibly high.

Victoria, not expecting those words, ends up laughing, too, which causes her to choke on the smoke and sputter everywhere. This, in turn, just causes Chloe to laugh even harder and clutch her sides.

"Fuck you, Kari," Victoria spits through her laughter and simultaneous choking, doing her best to get herself to stop by beating her hand against her chest.

"Give it here, you fucking amateur," Chloe chuckles, taking the joint from Victoria, before reaching over for her beer, which she hands to her to drink.

Victoria accepts Chloe's beer and takes a big swig, peering over the can as she does at Chloe finishing off the joint. Her eyes can't help but wander over her reddened cheek again.

"So, what happened to your face?" Victoria blurts out, having now finished the last of Chloe's beer.

Chloe frowns at Victoria's question, the smile vanishing from her face. Victoria notices Chloe visibly stiffen, her body no longer relaxed like it just was seconds ago. The atmosphere, too, feeling heavier in comparison. However, after a brief silence, Chloe relaxes once more and a smirk flashes across her face as she turns to face Victoria.

"Aw, cmon now, Chase, we were having fun. Why ruin it by talking about shit like this?" Chloe asks, gesturing her hand towards her own face.

Chloe's attempt at lightening the mood and diverting Victoria's attention doesn't work, though, much to her disappointment. Victoria just stares back at her, a serious look on her face. Chloe realises Victoria isn't going to drop it this time and she reflects a serious look of her own back at her.

"It was David," Chloe mumbles after a while, turning her attention to her lap.

"Your step-dad?"

"Yeah," Chloe nods, "he gets handsy when I piss him off."

Victoria, without even thinking, moves closer to Chloe and places a hand on her knee, causing her to look up from her lap at her.

"Does your Mom know?"

"I don't think so," Chloe sighs, "I mean, if she does, she hasn't said anything about it."

"What an asshole," Victoria snaps suddenly, causing Chloe to jump slightly in her seat. "You should tell her."

"I'm not a fan of awkward conversations with my Mom," Chloe breathes, attempting a small smile at Victoria. "Or conversations in general."

Victoria stays silent and nods. She's not really sure what to say or do. She's never had a conversation about something like this with someone before. Similar to Chloe, she too doesn't do conversations with either of her parents, so she can also relate there.

"S'fine," Chloe says, breaking the silence, "I'm used to it." Chloe lets out a small and forced chuckle. It pains Victoria to hear it.

"You shouldn't be, though."

"I know," Chloe says in a low voice, shifting awkwardly in her seat. "But, it doesn't matter."

Chloe leans forward and helps herself to another beer, avoiding Victoria's eyes, which are burning into her face worse than David's slap did.

"Yeah, it matters."

Chloe cracks open the can and takes a long swig, before turning her attention back to Victoria. The tension is thick in the air and it's starting to feel suffocating, so Chloe stands and makes her way over to the window with her beer in hand. Picking up her cigarettes from the desk, she lights one up and leans out of the window. Victoria stays seated, but her eyes never leave Chloe. The movie must have ended by now, because there's only silence in the room.

Chloe can't believe she opened up about that to Victoria fucking Chase of all people. Not even Rachel knows all that much about it. But, the fact Victoria responded like that is also unsettling for Chloe.

'Fuck,' Chloe thinks, mentally kicking herself.

After a few moments, Chloe is still leaning out, when she feels a pair of arms slide around her waist, pulling her into a hug. Victoria stands leaning her head against Chloe's back.

"Sorry," Victoria says, the word slightly muffled against Chloe's back.

"What for?" Chloe asks, taking a final drag from her cigarette and tossing it.

"I don't know," Victoria mumbles, her grip tightening slightly against Chloe's abdomen.

Chloe snorts. "You really suck at apologies, Chase."

"I'm not used to apologising."

"I bet."

Chloe feels Victoria butt her head against her back in response, causing her to smirk to herself.

"Asshole."

"Whatthefuckever," Chloe says mockingly, mimicking Victoria's tone and voice as she does.

Chloe hears Victoria let out a small laugh, causing a small vibration to run down her back.

"Cringe."

"Hella cringe."

"Oh, God, double cringe."

Chloe laughs and turns in Victoria's arms to face her, but Victoria doesn't loosen her grip or move away.

"So, what was up with you tonight, Chase? Why the need for booze and drugs?"

Victoria stiffens a bit against Chloe as she thinks back to her conversation with Nathan. Fuck, what would he think now if he saw them like this? After what he said about Chloe and Victoria's involvement with her?

"I spoke to Nathan earlier," Victoria replies, relaxing again with her head on Chloe's shoulder.

"Oh," Chloe sighs, "how did that go?"

"Could have gone worse."

"That sounds promising," Chloe snorts, the air from her mouth tickling Victoria's face, causing her to scrunch it up.

"I know right," Victoria says. "He said he's going to get some help. Talk to someone or something."

"Right," Chloe says. She's become painfully aware of the fact that her arms are still limp by her sides whilst Victoria's are still firmly wrapped around her.

"I told him to stay away from you from now on," Victoria adds, after a brief silence.

"Why? I'm not scared of Nathan."

"Your face probably feels differently," Victoria snorts and Chloe can't help but smile.

"Yeah, I guess," Chloe laughs.

Victoria steps back and moves her arms from around Chloe.

"You give really awkward hugs," Chloe comments, meeting Victoria's gaze.

"Not used to giving those, either." Victoria moves back over to the sofa, where she sits and opens up another beer.

"Just like with blowing smoke rings, all it takes is practice," Chloe says, following Victoria to sit in her seat next to her.

"Ugh," Victoria scoffs, "at least I tried. What else is a person supposed to do after being told what you told me?"

"Not give awkward hugs, maybe?" Chloe offers, shrugging her shoulders at Victoria.

"It would have been less awkward if you had done me the courtesy of hugging me back," Victoria snaps, kicking her foot out lightly against Chloe's leg.

"Right," Chloe laughs, kicking back at Victoria. "Why would I ever make anything easy for Victoria Chase?"

Victoria turns to look at Chloe and just rolls her eyes in response, before picking up the TV remote. Picking a film at random, she settles back and grabs more chocolate. Chloe sits and watches her for a while, knowing Victoria is choosing to ignore her, before sinking back into her seat and grabbing herself some chips. The silence no longer awkward, but rather quite comfortable.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Victoria has been lying awake for the past five minutes, unmoving. She doesn't want to stir the soundly sleeping blue haired mess beneath her. That's right... Beneath her.

Fuck knows how it happened exactly, it just happened so smoothly. With such ease.

They had carried on drinking, smoking and eating, whilst watching the movie Victoria had chosen for them. Victoria had resumed leaning against Chloe and they had shared some laughs and random conversation as they got higher and looser. It had been so relaxing and easy being with Chloe like that. Then, about an hour into the movie, Chloe must have been gotten sleepy because Victoria suddenly found her moving to lie down, only she had pulled Victoria down with her. It was a bit of a surprise, considering Victoria thought she'd made Chloe uncomfortable with that poor attempt at a hug earlier on in the night. But no, Chloe seemed relaxed and content with having Victoria lie in-between her legs, her arms wrapped around her back whilst Victoria used Chloe's chest as a pillow. Victoria doesn't know whether that's just because of the booze and weed or if Chloe genuinely feels more at ease around her now. Either way, she's not going to question it too much.

And here they are now. Victoria is still lying down in-between Chloe's sprawled out legs, her head resting against her chest. Victoria's head keeps moving ever so slightly up and down with every inhale and exhale from Chloe. She can hear her beating heart, which is slow and steady. Chloe's arms are still resting around Victoria's back, occasionally twitching as Chloe dreams, but Victoria doesn't mind.

Victoria had fallen asleep, too, but Chloe stirring slightly had woken her up and she's stayed awake because now she can't help thinking about everything. That and the sofa is quite small and uncomfortable for sleeping on. It's a surprise they've both managed to stay on it whilst sleeping.

Moving her head slightly, Victoria looks up at Chloe, whose face is so peaceful and relaxed compared to how she usually sees it, angry and mysterious. She can make out Chloe's eyes beginning to move under her eyelids. It looks kinda freaky so Victoria decides to turn away and look back at her room instead. 'Wonder what time it is,' she thinks.

Doing her best not to move too much, Victoria gently reaches over towards the table and picks up her phone. It's just after 2am. There's a text from Nathan and also Courtney. Victoria opens the one from Nathan first.

Nathan: thanks for giving me another chance v I swear ill do better

Sighing lightly to herself, Victoria opens the one from Courtney.

Courtney: hey where are u? Not seen or heard from u all day! Did you get back ok after the party? Sorry I had to stay and help clean.

Victoria smiles knowing her day had turned out better than expected.

Victoria: It's fine. I've just been busy. Yeah, I got back okay.

Putting her phone down, Victoria rests her head against Chloe's chest again, placing her arms on either side of Chloe's waist. She can't help noticing that Chloe's heart is beating faster than before, though, so she shifts to look up at her again. Chloe's face is scrunched up, her breathing has picked up, too, Victoria can see, as well as feel it. She can make out a fine sheen of sweat building up on Chloe's forehead from the moonlight casting in through the window. Victoria remembers this happening the previous night, after the party. Clearly Chloe is one for having a lot of dreams. Victoria never dreams. Or at least, never remembers them that is.

Chloe is starting to toss and turn slightly, her grip around Victoria tightening, but not hard enough for it to hurt. Victoria stays silent and unmoving, wondering if Chloe is going to be woken by this one or not.

"No," Chloe mumbles quietly.

Victoria watches Chloe's face intently at any sign of her gaining consciousness.

"No, stop," Chloe mumbles again.

"Dad!" Chloe calls out, louder this time.

Chloe seems in distress now and it pains Victoria to watch her. It's hard to think that not so long ago, Victoria would have woken her up and told her to shut up or something. Or kicked her out. But now, after getting to know her more and feeling these things for her, she just feels bad for her. Victoria swears she read somewhere about not waking people up when they're like this due to shock or some shit. She's not sure, though, so she just stays watching quietly.

"Dad! Max! No!" Chloe shouts, making Victoria jump slightly.

"Don't leave!"

Chloe's body suddenly goes limp and her grip around Victoria loosens. Victoria assumes that's the end of that and closes her eyes in attempt to get some sleep. After a few minutes, Chloe's breathing has calmed, but it's still not as deep as it was before. Victoria opens her eyes, only to find Chloe's open and looking down at her, taking her by surprise.

"Oh, you're awake," Victoria says, her voice quiet and almost a whisper.

"Yeah," Chloe says, her voice equally as quiet, her eyes blinking sleepily.

"You were dreaming again," Victoria sighs.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, I was already awake," Victoria reassures, before looking away from Chloe's stare.

Silence quickly fills the room and Victoria is surprised that Chloe isn't moving her arms from around her or getting up to leave... Or anything. After another few minutes, Victoria wonders if Chloe has simply fallen asleep again and looks up at her. Chloe's still awake, though, staring at the ceiling.

"Who's Max?" Victoria asks, hoping Chloe may be more forthcoming this time around. It's now clear to Victoria she lied about not knowing when she asked the previous night.

Chloe stays silent and unmoving, her attention still to the ceiling. Victoria assumes she isn't going to answer her as the silence falls heavy between them, only the sound of their faint breathing present.

"She was my best friend," Chloe finally answers, moving her head to look down at Victoria.

"Was?" Victoria asks, meeting Chloe's stare and holding it.

"She moved to Seattle when I was fourteen. After my dad died."

"Do you still see her?"

"No. I haven't heard from her in years," Chloe sighs, leaning her head back to look at the ceiling again.

"And you still dream about her?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"You ask a lot of questions, you know that?"

"Don't change the subject, Price. And yes, I know," Victoria says, nudging Chloe with her head.

"I don't know why I still dream about her," Chloe answers begrudgingly.

"Seems like you still miss her. Were you close?"

"Before Rachel, Max was all I had. We grew up together."

"Like sisters?"

Chloe scrunches her face up at this. Her and Max were close, yeah, but she had never referred to themselves as sisters. Even if they were like family. But not like sisters. Victoria has been watching Chloe's face the entire time and notices this, though.

"Did you like her?"

"Of course I did, she was my best friend!" Chloe exclaims, looking down at Victoria.

Victoria rolls her eyes up at Chloe in response, before moving up slightly so their heads are more level.

"Not like that, dumbass. Like like her."

"Oh," Chloe says, her brows furrowing in confusion. Victoria is certain Chloe's blushing now. "I don't know. Maybe? Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't. I'm just curious," Victoria smiles her best bitch smile.

"Ugh," Chloe grunts, looking away from Victoria.

"Why did you lie and say you didn't know who she is?"

"To avoid questions like these, mainly," Chloe sighs, her leg starting to roll from side to side restlessly, gently bumping against Victoria's side as it does.

"Fair," Victoria chuckles.

Chloe sinks lower into the sofa, her arms still wrapped around Victoria. As she does, her arms lower, too, moving them so they're resting around her waist. Their faces are now inches apart and Victoria can't help feeling the tension grow between them. She wonders if Chloe can feel it, too.

"How did your Dad die?" Victoria asks, doing her best to distract herself from their close proximity.

"His car was hit by a truck. Max was with me the day it happened," Chloe replies, her voice low again. "It was the last day we spent together before she left."

"Oh," Victoria whispers, "that sucks."

"Yeah," Chloe breathes.

Chloe turns to face Victoria, their eyes meeting. Both girls are breathing faster now and it suddenly feels so much hotter. Chloe can see Victoria's gaze dropping to her lips and back up again. The silence now intense and the atmosphere full of tension.

Chloe sits up and gently pushes Victoria up and off of her, before turning and getting up. She seriously needs some fresh air. In the darkness, she doesn't notice Victoria's disappointed face.

"Where are you going?" Victoria asks, placing her feet on the floor and sinking back into her seat.

Chloe turns to look at her. "I just need a cigarette," she says, shooting Victoria a small smile.

"Oh, okay," Victoria nods, shifting slightly in her seat.

Chloe moves over to the window, grabbing the final cigarette from the packet as she does, before scrunching it up and tossing it into the trash.

"I'm all out of cigarettes," Chloe comments, breaking the silence, as she lights up her cigarette and takes a drag.

The night is warm, but there's still a small chill from the breeze. It feels nice against Chloe's face, sobering her up.

"There's a 24 hour gas station nearby," Victoria says.

"Fancy a late night drive?" Chloe asks, her back still facing Victoria.

"Sure."

"Cool," Chloe nods, "have to make sure we don't get caught sneaking out, though."

"I know," Victoria snorts, "it's not my first time sneaking out, Price."

"So, we're both seasoned pros then!" Chloe turns, shooting Victoria her shit-eating grin.

Victoria rolls her eyes at her, before standing and making her way over to her wardrobe.

"What are you doing, Chase?" Chloe asks, noticing her rifling through her clothes.

"Changing, what does it look like?" Victoria snaps, rifling through her wardrobe some more.

"Nah you're not, you look fine the way you are," Chloe laughs, tossing her cigarette out the window.

"Are you serious right now?" Victoria scoffs, turning to face Chloe, her eyebrows raised and her hand on her hip.

"Hella," Chloe smiles, "just put some shoes on or something."

"What if someone sees me like this?!" Victoria asks, her face full of disbelief.

"The whole point of sneaking out is not being seen," Chloe snorts.

Victoria stays silent, staring at Chloe like she's just suggested they run outside fully naked into a crowd of people.

"Oh, cmon, Chase! Live a little! Take a risk for once in your life!" Chloe says, throwing her hands in the air.

"Ugh," Victoria grunts, "fine. But if anyone sees us, I'm telling them you kidnapped me or something!"

"That's fair," Chloe laughs, much to Victoria's disapproving look.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rachel slowly makes her way over campus grounds, keeping an eye out for any security as she does. She's keeping a brisk pace, her arms wrapped around herself and her bag slung over her shoulder, knocking against her slightly with every step.

The weekend passed quickly. Her and Frank had spent a lot of it driving to places just outside of Arcadia Bay, where they spent the nights camped under the stars, surrounded by forests. It had been relaxing and peaceful. Rachel had talked to him about maybe leaving Arcadia Bay altogether at some point, to which he seemed slightly hesitant. He's never left Arcadia Bay before. However, with some pressing on Rachel's part, he said he'd consider it. He then let her drive the RV down the coast. It was awesome and Rachel envisioned it happening again for when she finally got the hell out of this town.

Nearing the entrance to the dorms, Rachel makes out sounds of people approaching. 'Shit,' she thinks, quickly turning to run and duck behind the tree outside the dorms. It's dark out and she's fairly certain whoever it is hasn't spotted her, so she stays there unmoving and doing her best to calm her breathing.

The sounds of footsteps grow louder and now she can make out voices. Two of them, both girls.

"Told you nobody would see you," one voice whispers, or tries to, coming across as slightly loud. It sounds familiar to Rachel.

"We're not out of the woods yet," another voice says, a slightly bitchy tone to it, which is also familiar to Rachel. "You suck at staying quiet, by the way."

"Whatever," the first person laughs.

Their footsteps are ridiculously close now and Rachel stays in her hiding spot as they approach and then walk past, before they start to fade off in the distance.

Moving from behind her hiding spot, Rachel quickly looks over to the direction of where the two girls are walking, a haste in their steps. She briefly catches the blue hair under one of the lights as it turns the corner.

"Fuck," Rachel breathes, her eyebrows raised in disbelief.

Chloe and Victoria.

Rachel doesn't know how to feel about seeing them together sneaking out like that. She hates Victoria with a passion, but it's not like she can do or say anything about it. It's not her place. Plus, she lied to Chloe about where she was going for the weekend. That and it's no surprise really, she's seen them together before, only they had less clothing on.

Shaking her head to herself, Rachel turns and makes her way towards the dorm entrance. She can't help wondering what it is they're getting up to exactly. Chances are, she won't find out, either. Chloe isn't exactly forthcoming about these sorts of things and Rachel doesn't feel like she should press her on it.

'It's better this way, anyway' Rachel thinks, opening the door. 'I won't be here for long, after all.'

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . .

Pulling up outside the gas station, Chloe cuts the engine and turns to look at Victoria, who's anxiously glancing around outside.

"Chase, it's almost 3am, no one is here. You can relax."

Victoria shifts her attention from her window to Chloe.

"I know that," Victoria snaps, "I'm just checking to see if any serial killing looking creepers are around."

Chloe snorts and shakes her head. "A serial killer in Arcadia Bay?"

"Yeah, what's so funny about that?" Victoria asks, cocking her head to the side.

"Since when does anything that exciting happen here?" Chloe laughs, opening the door and stepping out.

"You never know," Victoria scoffs, following Chloe's lead and getting out.

"Drunks and assholes, sure, but not serial killers," Chloe says, turning to wait for Victoria to catch up.

Victoria hurries her steps and frowns at Chloe as she walks past, heading for the entrance.

"Can tell you're from the city," Chloe says, running beside Victoria and matching her pace.

"Yeah, I am."

"Which one?"

"Seattle," Victoria replies, shooting Chloe a side glance.

"Ah," Chloe nods. "Didn't bump into a Max Caulfield when you were there, did you?"

Victoria stops just short of the entrance of the gas station and looks at Chloe.

"Is that her surname?"

"Yeah," Chloe sighs, fidgeting with her car keys in her hands. "Why?"

"No reason," Victoria responds, before turning and walking inside. "I don't know her. But, that's not surprising. Seattle is a massive city, you know that right?"

"So I've heard," Chloe nods, following up close behind Victoria.

Victoria stops suddenly, causing Chloe to bump into her and nearly send them both flying. Luckily, Chloe reaches out, wrapping an arm around Victoria's waist and stops them both from falling forward.

"Shit, Chase!" Chloe snaps, standing up straight and releasing Victoria, who turns to look back at her.

"Sorry, I didn't realise you were riding my ass, Kari," Victoria snaps in response.

Chloe stares down at her with a dumbfounded expression, before the corners of her mouth start to rise, giving way to her shit-eating grin.

"You're welcome," Chloe laughs, nudging past Victoria.

"So, you've never left Arcadia Bay?" Victoria asks, watching as Chloe eyes up some items on a shelf.

"Yeah, I have. I've just never left Oregon," Chloe answers, not looking up from what she's doing.

"Wow," Victoria whispers, wondering what that must feel like. She's been to lots of different places and countries.

"I know, I'm small town trash," Chloe sighs, picking up an item and inspecting it.

"I didn't say that," Victoria says.

"You were thinking it," Chloe snorts, placing the item back, before moving along.

"No, actually, I wasn't. I was wondering what that must be like."

"It's hella awesome," Chloe says, a deadpan look on her face.

"I bet," Victoria says sarcastically, nodding her head.

Victoria watches as Chloe moves to stand in front of a bunch of candy and other junk snack food.

"Hungry again, Price?" Victoria asks, chuckling slightly.

"Yeah, someone ended up eating half my junk food earlier," Chloe retorts, turning to look at Victoria with an accusing look.

"You offered!" Victoria snaps, smacking Chloe gently on the arm.

"Didn't think you'd eat it all!" Chloe laughs, picking up some candy.

"I got it for you in the first place," Victoria scoffs.

"You stole it," Chloe points out, raising an eyebrow at Victoria.

"Same thing," Victoria snorts.

"Yeah, well, we're paying here," Chloe says, moving towards the counter.

"Don't act like you've never stolen anything," Victoria says, loudly. Too loudly.

The employee behind the cash register overhears and looks up at them both, a suspicious expression painted on his face.

"I haven't," Chloe quickly lies, smiling at the employee as she does, before placing her candy on the counter. "Erm, can I get a pack of your cheapest cigarettes, too."

Chloe reaches into her pocket for her wallet, but she feels a hand over hers, stopping her.

"Here, let me," Victoria says, pulling out a 10 from her pocket and placing it on the counter.

"Why?" Chloe asks.

"To make up for stealing from Alyssa," Victoria sighs.

"I don't think it works like that," Chloe laughs.

Victoria just looks at her with a serious expression, before rolling her eyes and walking away. Chloe laughs and shakes her head, before waiting for her change and then thanking the dude behind the counter, grabbing her cigarettes and candy as she does.

Back outside, Chloe stops short in her tracks when she sees Victoria stood talking to some older, dishevelled guy. Her body language shows she's pissed. Picking up her pace, Chloe moves in closer and catches some of their conversation.

"-fucking touch me again and I'll kick you so hard in the nuts, you'll be wearing them as earmuffs!" Victoria shouts.

"Whoa, what's going on here?" Chloe asks, moving to stand up close to Victoria.

"This drunken asshole grabbed me when I didn't wanna talk to him!" Victoria says, her face furious.

"What?" Chloe asks, looking over the older guy, her eyebrows furrowing.

"I just wanted to ask her something and she kept on walking," the dirty looking man says, his speech slurring slightly. There's a strong smell of beer on his breath.

"Doesn't mean you should go grabbing people, dude," Chloe snaps, squaring up to him slightly.

"Well, she didn't have to be such a bitch about it and neither do you!" the man yells, some of his spit landing on Chloe's face.

Before Chloe has a chance to respond, she catches a hand moving quickly out the corner of her eye, before coming into view and connecting with the side of the man's face, sending him staggering backwards. In his drunken state, he fails at correcting his footing and falls, groaning out loudly when he hits the ground.

"Bitch," the man yells, looking up from his place on the floor at Victoria.

"Asshole," Victoria shouts back, giving him the middle finger.

Chloe just stands there with a stunned expression on her face, not knowing what to do next. Fortunately, Victoria grabs hold of her hand and starts dragging her along, whilst Chloe keeps her eyes on the man.

"Come on, Price, let's get out of here," Victoria says, picking up her pace, her hand tightening on Chloe's.

"S-Sure," Chloe stumbles slightly, freeing herself from Victoria's grasp and making her way around to the driver's side, keys in hand.

Back in Chloe's truck, both girls can see the man struggling to stand up as the gas station employee makes his way out to help him.

"Shit, Chase, remind me not to piss you off," Chloe says, her eyes still wide as she sticks the key into the ignition.

Silence greets Chloe in response, so she turns to look at Victoria. She's sat hugging into herself, a sour expression on her face. She's shivering.

"You okay?" Chloe asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just cold."

"Right," Chloe says, drawing out the word slightly. "Here."

Chloe takes off her plaid shirt and hands it to Victoria. With it being a fairly warm night, Victoria hadn't brought a jacket of her own. She eyes Chloe's shirt, before taking it and wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Thanks," Victoria smiles.

"No problem," Chloe nods, backing out onto the road.

"Guess I should have done that to Nathan and saved you an ass beating," Victoria sighs.

Chloe laughs hearing this and turns to look at Victoria again.

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Chloe asks, before pulling away and heading back towards Blackwell.

"I slapped him afterwards, when you were sleeping upstairs," Victoria adds after a brief pause.

"Who? Nathan?" Chloe asks, casting a side glance at Victoria.

"Yeah," Victoria says, wrapping Chloe's shirt tighter around herself.

"Why?"

"Because he was an asshole."

"Touche," Chloe snorts.

Silence fills the truck as they approach Blackwell. It's been minutes since either of them have spoken.

"You sure you're okay?" Chloe asks again, looking over at Victoria.

"Yeah," Victoria nods, "it felt kind of good actually."

"It looked kinda badass to me," Chloe smiles.

Victoria laughs and relaxes in her seat, her adrenaline rush now gone, along with her shivering.

"Guess you were right," Victoria says.

"Huh?"

"Town full of drunken assholes, but no serial killers."

"Ha! Yeah, told you," Chloe chuckles, moving her hand from the wheel to nudge Victoria's shoulder.

Victoria nudges Chloe back, before moving in closer and leaning against her.

"Don't get too comfortable, we're almost there," Chloe says, feeling Victoria rest her head on her shoulder.

"Mmm," Victoria hums.

"I'm serious, I'm not carrying your ass back to your dorm room if you fall asleep," Chloe jokes.

"I don't think someone on a strict diet of cigarettes, booze and junk food would be strong enough to anyway," Victoria laughs.

Chloe laughs and shakes her head. "You're an asshole."

"Takes one to know one."

"True," Chloe agrees. "But just for the record, I could totally carry you."

Victoria turns to look up at Chloe, shooting her a disbelieving expression.

"What?" Chloe asks, noticing her look, "I could!"

"Sure," Victoria says, the sarcasm heavy in her tone.

Chloe grunts to herself, choosing to ignore Victoria as they pull up into Blackwell's parking lot.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The walk back to the dorms is a silent and uneventful one. The only sounds are of the wind and various wildlife surrounding them in the wooded areas. Victoria keeps turning to look at Chloe who's walking next to her, smoking a cigarette. Chloe starts humming a tune as they continue to walk, but Victoria has no idea what song it's from. She doesn't really care, though, content with walking and listening instead.

"So..." Chloe says, after another minute of silence.

"Yeah?" Victoria asks. She's now wearing Chloe's shirt, after she got tired of the breeze blowing it from around her shoulders.

"Don't suppose I can crash on your couch for the rest of the night?" Chloe asks, casting Victoria a quick side glance, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Sure," Victoria says.

"Cool. I just don't wanna go back home just yet."

"I get it."

As they approach the dorms, Chloe's walking slightly ahead when she suddenly stops and quickly takes hold of Victoria's arm.

"Shit," Chloe breathes.

"What?" Victoria asks, following Chloe's gaze. "Oh, fuck!"

Not far ahead of them, they spot the moving light coming from a flashlight.

"Who the fuck patrols at this time?" Victoria spits.

"Only one asshole I know who would," Chloe sighs.

Victoria turns to look at Chloe with an inquisitive expression.

"Step-dick. He takes his job too fucking seriously."

Both girls can just about make out a figure holding the flashlight, but it's too dark to tell who it is for sure.

"Shit, he's heading this way!" Victoria squeals, gripping onto Chloe's arm.

"Ah, shit," Chloe sighs, slight panic in her voice, before turning and leading herself and Victoria away.

The girls round the corner and stick to the sides of the wall, making their way along the side of the dorms, hoping the shadows will hide them. They come to a small alcove in the wall and Chloe pushes Victoria inside and up against the wall, before pushing herself against Victoria, in attempts to squeeze in and behind cover with her.

The feeling of Chloe suddenly pressed against her sends a small shock down Victoria's body, sparking a familiar tingling sensation between her legs. The alcove is tiny and their bodies are pressed so close together, Victoria can almost feel Chloe's heartbeat against her own. Both of them are breathing fast and heavy, adrenaline coursing through their bodies. It's dark but Victoria can make out the small details of Chloe's face, which is mere inches away. Chloe turns her head so Victoria is facing the crook of her neck. Her eyes wander down her face, jawline and over the small dip in her collarbone where her tank-top has slipped down, exposing more of her skin and the strap to her bra. Victoria breathes in and bites her lip, doing her best to calm her thoughts and the growing throbbing sensation below her waist, causing her panties to grow wetter with each passing second.

Unbeknownst to Victoria, Chloe's doing her best to distract herself from the intimate situation, too. She can feel Victoria's eyes on her and the feel of her body against her own. Chloe's not sure if it's because of being pressed up against Victoria, being at risk of getting caught or the fact there's a chill that she can feel goosebumps forming all over her skin. Small shivers run down her spine, causing her to shift slightly against Victoria.

David's or whoever's footsteps are still approaching and growing louder. Chloe turns her head to look behind them and she can see the light shining around up ahead. She turns back and faces Victoria, who's stood looking straight at her, biting onto her bottom lip. The sight causes Chloe's breath to hitch in her throat.

"Y-You o-okay?" Chloe whispers, her words stammering.

Victoria can feel her breath against her lips, causing the hairs on her body to stand. The throb intensifies and Victoria can't help tightening her legs together, doing her best to subdue it. She can feel herself starting to sweat, when minutes ago she was feeling chilly and thankful for Chloe's shirt. Now all she wants to do is rip it off, along with Chloe's clothing, too.

"Victoria?" Chloe whispers again, snapping her from her thoughts.

"Uh, y-yeah, I'm fine," Victoria says.

Their eyes are locked in an intense stare, their fast breaths meeting and mixing between their lips. Chloe moves her arms so her hands are pressed against the wall on either side for support. Victoria feels restricted and that just turns her on more. She can't take it anymore.

"Price?" Victoria sighs.

"Yeah?" Chloe breathes, her gaze still unwavering from Victoria's.

'Go on, kiss her, you idiot,' Victoria thinks, desperately trying to find the courage to make her move. Chloe's eyes are searching hers, waiting for her to say or do something, trying to make sense of what's going on, of what she's thinking.

"Is he gone yet?" Victoria asks, her voice low. 'Nice one,' she thinks, mentally kicking herself for her cowardice.

Chloe shifts slightly and turns to look behind them, she can still make out footsteps and sees the light cast from the flashlight bouncing around up ahead. As she turns back to face Victoria, her breath hitches in her throat once more. Victoria's moved her head closer and their lips are brushing against each other now. Shock waves shoot through Chloe's body and she lets out a shaky sigh against Victoria's lips.

"N-No."

"Oh," Victoria breathes, the air from her mouth making Chloe's lips tingle.

Victoria can feel how dry Chloe's lips are against her own, so she gently pokes her tongue out and runs it along Chloe's bottom lip, eliciting a small, breathy moan from the blue haired punk.

"Fuck," Chloe groans quietly, pressing herself harder against Victoria.

Victoria lets out a small moan of her own, as she moves her arms up the length of Chloe's body and snakes her hands into her hair, pulling her into a hard kiss. Chloe moves her right hand down from the wall and places it on Victoria's hip, squeezing it, whilst slowly rolling her hips against her. Victoria parts her mouth, pressing her tongue against Chloe's lips, which she accepts into her own. Their tongues slip and slide over each other, fighting for dominance. Victoria parts her legs slightly, signalling for Chloe to move her thigh in-between her own, grinding it agonisingly slowly against her centre. Victoria moans into Chloe's mouth at the contact, her clit enjoying the added friction through the material of their clothing, her panties growing heavier with heat and wetness.

Chloe's head feels like it's swimming. She slowly scrapes her nails up and under Victoria's shirt, enjoying the feel of her hot skin against her fingertips and the sounds of her small panting moans against her mouth. Moving her hand further up, she stops when she feels the underwire of Victoria's bra and pushes past and underneath it, before cupping her breast in her hand, pinching her nipple gently between her fingers as she does.

"Fuck," Victoria breathes, bucking her hips harder against Chloe's thigh and biting her lip.

Chloe gets instantly more turned on at the expletive and the feel of Victoria's teeth digging into the skin of her lip. She adds pressure to her breast, squeezing it and rolling it under hand, feeling Victoria's nipple harden more.

"Hey! Who's over there?!" a familiar, rough voice calls out from somewhere in the distance, making both girls jump and move apart from one another.

Chloe turns and sees David approaching their direction, his flashlight searching the area near to where they're stood.

"Fuck," Chloe hisses, her heart racing even more now.

"Come out from there right this minute," David shouts.

Chloe steps back, but suddenly feels Victoria grab hold of her arm and in seconds, they're sprinting back towards the road.

"Run!" Victoria shouts.

"Where are we going?!" Chloe asks, doing her best to keep up the pace Victoria is setting.

"I think there's a way in the dorms around the back," Victoria shouts over her shoulder at Chloe.

Much to their disappointment, both girls can hear David giving chase behind them, his footsteps loud and fast.

"Come back here now!" David calls out loudly to them.

Fortunately, Victoria and Chloe had a head start and are further ahead in the distance. Chloe is silently praying David's time away from the military has killed his stamina, along with all the beers he pounds every night. Chloe for sure is feeling the strain, her fitness levels are abysmal.

'I should have tried harder in gym, or actually gone,' Chloe thinks, doing her best to ignore the growing cramp in her side.

"Here!" Victoria calls, making a quick turn around the side of the building.

Chloe spots the door she's heading towards and makes a final push, picking up her speed so she's by Victoria's side, the burn in her chest strong.

Victoria reaches the door and quickly grabs for the door knob, twisting it and throwing the door open for them to enter. Chloe stumbles in past her and stops to look back and see Victoria shutting and locking it from the inside, before turning and following Chloe up the stairs to the second floor.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Fuck, that was close," Victoria pants, leaning against her door, doing her best to catch her breath. "I hope he couldn't make us out."

"Tell me about it," Chloe practically wheezes, leaning forward in the centre of Victoria's room, clutching her sides and doing her best to not pass out.

Victoria can't help letting out a small laugh at the sight. "We got lucky. That door isn't always unlocked. Someone else must have used it to sneak out or something."

"Awesome," Chloe breathes, standing up straight again and shooting a shit-eating grin in Victoria's direction. "See, it would have been harder for you to run in a skirt and heels, Chase."

"Still would have done a better job of it than you, Price," Victoria snorts, moving over past Chloe towards her bed and throwing herself down on it. "I told you a strict diet of cigarettes, booze and junk food isn't helping you."

"Whatever," Chloe scoffs, falling down to her knees, before flopping down on the floor and rolling onto her back.

"What are you doing?" Victoria asks, noticing this.

"Dying, what does it look like?" Chloe mumbles, her chest visibly moving up and down rapidly still.

Victoria lets out a laugh, moving her hand to rest on her chest. She can feel her heart pounding against it. Silence quickly falls over them, the sounds of their breathing growing quieter as they both return to a calmer state.

"I need a drink," Chloe sighs, pulling her knees up so they're pointing at the ceiling.

"I think there's still a beer left," Victoria says, turning her head to the side to look over at Chloe.

Chloe just grunts and stays unmoving, to which Victoria rolls her eyes and sits up, before standing and making her way over to the table. Picking up the last unopened beer, a mischievous thought crosses Victoria's mind. With her back turned from Chloe, she quickly shakes the can for a few seconds. Turning back around, she walks over and holds it out for Chloe to take from her position on the floor.

"Here," Victoria says, waving the can slightly to catch Chloe's attention.

"Thanks, Vic," Chloe smiles, reaching up to take the beer from her hand.

"No problem," Victoria smiles in return, before moving back a few steps in preparation for the inevitable.

Chloe groans as she sits up, sprawling her legs back down and out in front of her. She must be thirsty, because she wastes no time in moving her thumb and forefinger over the top of the can and cracking it open.

Beer is suddenly sent flying everywhere, coating Chloe's face and clothes and some of the floor in one big eruption.

"What the FUCK?" Chloe yells, forgetting it's after 3am and other students will be sleeping next door.

Victoria bursts out into an evil fit of laughter, marvelling in Chloe's furious expression as beer drips down her face and onto her clothes. Chloe looks up and narrows her eyes at Victoria, knowing this is her doing. She quickly pushes herself up and starts to slowly make her way towards the tall blonde.

"I'm sorry," Victoria breathes, clutching her sides, "I couldn't resist. Your face is priceless!"

Victoria quickly stops laughing when she notices Chloe's serious facial expression and her slow, approaching steps. Victoria takes a couple of steps back, only to find her back pressed up against her door. Chloe notices and a mischievous smile replaces the serious look on her face. Victoria's breath hitches in her throat at the sight, the familiar tingling sensation presenting itself again.

Chloe stops a foot away from Victoria and takes a big swig from her beer, before placing it down on the table and reaching with her hands to the hem of her own shirt. In one quick motion, Chloe is topless. She can feel the cold air against the wet patches of beer on her skin, sending shivers down her spine.

Victoria watches wide eyed, biting onto her lip as Chloe closes the distance between them and presses her half-exposed body against her, pinning her to the door. An animalistic urge takes over Victoria and she quickly catches Chloe's lips with her own, before grabbing her arms and turning their bodies so Chloe is the one pressed against the door. The sudden action elicits a moan from Chloe, who slips her tongue into Victoria's mouth in response, hardening their kiss. Victoria raises Chloe's arms above her head, pinning them by the wrists against the door. Chloe can feel Victoria's nails digging into her skin and she can't help letting out another moan into Victoria's mouth.

Victoria runs her hands down the length of Chloe's arms, stopping to squeeze and feel her biceps, before scraping her nails down to her sides and round behind her back. Chloe lowers her arms back down and snakes them around Victoria's waist, pulling her tighter against her burning and flushed skin, using her hands to palm and squeeze her ass. Victoria moves to Chloe's bra clasp and undoes it, before pulling at the straps and sliding them down the length of her arms. Chloe removes her hands from around Victoria and lets her bra slide off and fall, exposing her chest to Victoria's hungry mouth, who hurriedly bends down and wraps her lips around the nipple sporting a piercing.

Chloe throws her head back against the door, letting out a loud moan at the feel of Victoria's teeth scraping against her nipple, causing the metal to clink. She moves her arms back around Victoria, running her hands down the length of her back and tugging at the hem of her shirt. Victoria takes the hint and steps back, quickly discarding Chloe's shirt and her top, before moving back in and crashing her lips against Chloe's. Their breathing is back to being fast and shallow, panting as their hands roam and paw at each other's bodies.

"I want you," Victoria breathes, moving her kisses down to the crook of Chloe's neck, biting it.

Chloe lets out another moan, feeling Victoria soothe over skin with her tongue, bucking her hips out against Victoria's in attempts to feel some friction between her legs.

"Take me then," Chloe whispers into Victoria's ear, nipping it afterwards, as scratches her nails up her back. Victoria moans at the sensations, her body, as well as Chloe's, working up a small sweat already.

Chloe's words surprise Victoria. She's grown used to Chloe taking the lead during times like these, but she's not going to stop and question it. Who the fuck stops to question it?!

Victoria leans forward, bending her knees, she continues to kiss, lick and bite her way down Chloe's body. Kneeling down on the floor, she stops at Chloe's hip, that's jutting out, kissing it, before sucking it in-between her teeth. Chloe moans, snaking her fingers through Victoria's hair and tugging on it hard in response. Victoria hooks her fingers into the waistband of Chloe's jeans after popping open the button on them, roughly pulling them down the length of her long, pale legs. She looks up and can faintly make out a damp spot on Chloe's boxers, which causes her insides to twist low in her abdomen and her clit to throb at the sight.

Victoria runs a hand slowly up Chloe's left thigh with her right hand, moving it over towards the inside as she does, whilst her left moves up Chloe's other thigh, turning towards the back and finding its way along her tight, firm ass. Her right hand reaches up the inside of Chloe's thighs, parting them slightly, allowing her further access to Chloe's heat.

A moan rips through Chloe as Victoria's fingers slide up against her pussy through the fabric of her boxers, causing her to pull on her hair and use her free hand to pinch and roll her own breast and nipple. Chloe bites down on her lip, doing her best to stifle her own moans and pants, as she feels Victoria's fingers move up and hook into the waistband of her boxers, pulling them down agonisingly slowly compared to her how she did with her jeans. Chloe can't take the teasing and tugs at Victoria's hair, pulling it close into her crotch.

Victoria drags Chloe's boxers down, leaving them by her ankles with her jeans and uses her left hand to squeeze her bare ass, her nails digging into the flesh. Chloe's pants grow louder, her breathing laboured and her body fully perspiring now, tiny drops of sweat gliding down the skin on her back and face. Victoria gets to work with her mouth on Chloe's clit, sucking it in-between her teeth before flicking her tongue over it and pushing into it, adding pressure with every flick. She can feel Chloe's legs shaking and tiring under her, so she makes quick work of sliding her fingers over her wet folds, parting them and teasing her by dipping two fingers into her.

"Fuck me," Chloe whines, letting out another loud moan, her attempts at staying quiet failing.

Victoria can't help but let out a small laugh against Chloe's pussy and clit, the vibrations shooting shock waves through Chloe's body and driving her insane, her pussy growing wetter and its juices coating Victoria's fingers. Victoria takes the hint and plunges her fingers inside, without warning, causing Chloe's legs to buck and turn to jelly, almost losing her balance if it wasn't for the door supporting her. Victoria can feel Chloe's insides tightening around her fingers as she pumps them in and out with speed and strength, curling the tips to hit Chloe's sweet spot as she does. Chloe's moans grow breathier and breathier, her nails scratching into Victoria's scalp as she paws at her hair and pulls, pushing her head into herself more and more, adding pressure on her clit with Victoria's tongue.

Chloe's seeing stars, so she closes her eyes and leans her head back against the door, enjoying the feeling of Victoria's mouth and panting breath against her pussy, the feeling of her long fingers inside of her, reaching deeper with every pump and stroke. Her chest is heaving up and down, her lungs working hard to keep up and help her catch her breath.

After a couple of minutes, Chloe can feel the familiar building sensation in her lower abdomen, the tightening, the pressure... Without giving Victoria any warning, the knot inside her snaps and she releases, half-screaming as she feels herself leak down onto Victoria's fingers and her inner thighs. Victoria withdraws her fingers and hungrily licks Chloe's thighs and pussy clean, savouring the taste and smell.

Chloe has lost all strength and she finds herself sliding down the door towards the floor, pushing Victoria's head back to stop her tongue and mouth from moving over her now sensitive area.

"Shit," Chloe breathes, doing her best to stand up straight again, enjoying the cool air on her back as she moves away slightly from the door.

Victoria stands and pushes herself against Chloe's body, supporting her up on her comedown with her own body weight. She presses light kisses into her jaw, neck and collarbone, before licking her way up and meeting Chloe's lips with her own. Chloe moans into her mouth, nipping on her lip, before bringing her hand up to her face.

Victoria moans in unison with her, craning her neck and allowing Chloe access to kiss her way down it. Victoria gently pushes Chloe back against the door, much to her surprise, and then leans in to whisper into her ear.

"Strip," Victoria commands, her voice sultry and her breath hot against Chloe's ear, causing Chloe to tingle and throb below.

Chloe nods her head and does as she's instructed, whilst Victoria backs away and turns to make her way towards her wardrobe, where she rifles through the back of it in search of something. Finding it, Victoria gets to work on stripping off her own clothes. Chloe is now fully naked and stood watching her, wondering what she has in mind.

Victoria turns to face Chloe, one hand behind her back, hiding something. Her bare body now fully exposed, Chloe's breath hitches in her throat and she feels her face get hot at the sight. Chloe stays watching, wide eyed, with building anticipation as Victoria takes a few steps towards her, slowly bringing her hand out from behind her back.

Catching sight of the object in her hand, Chloe can't help letting out a small laugh. "And I thought I was the dyke?"

"Takes one to know one," Victoria smiles mischievously, tracing the long shaft of the strapless strap on over her body as she moves closer to Chloe.

Chloe closes the distance as she reaches her hand out, intending to take the strap on off of Victoria, who quickly pulls it away and out of her grasp.

"No, Price," Victoria snorts, "it's your turn."

Victoria brings the shorter of the two shafts up to Chloe's mouth, her eyes locked in an intense stare with hers. Chloe smirks, taking the hint, before spitting on it and using her hand to coat and spread it over the shaft. Victoria stares mesmerised as she does, before bringing it down to her centre and slipping the short end inside of herself. It slides in quick and easy, stretching her out and eliciting a small moan from her. Chloe watches her do it, biting onto her lip as she does. She can feel herself dripping down her thighs again in preparation for what's to come.

Victoria moves her hand away, looking down to see the longer shaft standing erect and ready. She looks up at Chloe again and smiles a small and timid smile, her face blushing slightly, before taking hold of her hand and leading her over to the bed.

Reaching the edge of the bed, Victoria turns Chloe's body so her back is against her front and pushes her forwards onto it, so she's on her hands and knees. Climbing up and kneeling behind her, Victoria leans forward, placing wet and hot kisses against Chloe's back, whilst reaching her hands around to cup and roll her breasts.

"This okay?" Victoria asks in-between kisses, nipping at the skin on Chloe's back.

Chloe moans at the contact, her arms already feeling weak and shaky under the weight of her and Victoria's body.

"Y-Yeah," Chloe pants. She can feel the shaft of the dildo prodding and sliding against her. Her breathing growing laboured and ragged again.

Victoria licks her way down Chloe's back, before sitting up behind her. With one hand on Chloe's hip, Victoria uses the other to reach for the dildo, guiding it towards Chloe's wet and waiting entrance. Finding it, she pushes in slowly, introducing just the tip first and waiting to see any reaction from Chloe. Chloe just moans, leaning forward onto her elbows instead and raising her ass more into the air with her back arched.

Taking this as a go-ahead sign, Victoria moves her hand from the dildo to Chloe's other hip and keeps pushing inside her, stretching her out, inch by inch. Chloe's moans grow louder, so she reaches for Victoria's pillow and buries her face into it, doing her best to stay as quiet as possible.

Once Victoria reaches the hilt, she stops and waits, letting Chloe grow used to the feeling inside of it inside of her. Much to Victoria's pleasant surprise, it's Chloe who starts to slowly move forwards and backwards against her. Victoria looks down, lost in a trance at the sight of the shaft appearing and disappearing again, Chloe's wetness now coating it. Chloe's movements are felt for Victoria, too, as the smaller shaft inside of her starts to bump against her sweet spot with every stroke.

"Fuck me," Chloe breathes, turning her head to the side so she can see Victoria out the corner of her eye behind her. "Hard."

Victoria gets instantly wetter at Chloe's words and wastes no time, pulling her back hard against her hips with her hands on Chloe's own. Chloe cries out at the sudden force and grasps at the bedsheets, feeling herself tighten around the dildo's curved and bumpy surface.

Before long, Victoria has set a fast and hard pace, working up a sweat that coats her flushed skin. With every thrust into Chloe, their hips meet, creating a loud slapping sound. Chloe's moans and cries are music to Victoria's ears, as she feels the building pressure inside of her, her toes curling at the waves of sensations. Chloe can't help but mewl and squirm helplessly under Victoria's control, as she loses her own, no longer caring about being too loud.

Victoria suddenly picks up speed, ramming into Chloe even harder than before, which she didn't even think possible. The sudden change has Chloe's eyes watering slightly and her toes curling, too, as she reaches her hands up to her own hair and pulls down on it.

"Oh, fuck," Victoria cries from her behind, her hips moving mercilessly against Chloe's. "I'm getting close!"

Victoria knows she won't last for much longer, so scratches her nails around Chloe's waist, before trailing her fingertips down her abdomen towards her pussy, where she rests them against her clit.

It's all too much for Chloe and she bucks at the sudden feeling of Victoria's hand against her, rubbing in hard, slow circles, she screams into the pillow. Her face is bright red, flushed and perspiring. Her legs are starting to twitch and spasm out of control as she feels her orgasm approaching.

With every thrust, Victoria can hear Chloe's wetness. Or maybe it's her own, it's hard to tell, but it sounds amazing. Victoria adds more pressure with her fingers to Chloe's clit, speeding up the circles she's running over it, before leaning down to kiss, bite and lick her back. She can taste the salt in Chloe's sweat, but she doesn't care. It just turns her on even more.

After another minute, Chloe's movements become more and more sporadic and out of control. Victoria leans forward, pulling Chloe up with her so she can place her mouth against her ear.

"Come for me," Victoria says, licking and nipping Chloe's ear as she gives some final, hard thrusts.

Hearing Victoria's words, Chloe lets go and loses all control, her orgasm ripping through her core and working it's way out in a loud, guttural moan. She loses balance from having been pulled up onto her hands, falling forward onto her face and into the pillow as the orgasm takes her in full force. Victoria follows her seconds later, the knot in her own insides snapping as the pressure releases, causing her to fall back onto the heels of her feet, the longer shaft slipping out of Chloe and with it some of her juices, which drip down onto the bed.

Chloe moans one last time as she feels Victoria slip out of her, before falling flat on her stomach and stretching her legs out, doing her best to calm the shaking and twitching in them. Victoria reaches down and removes the smaller shaft from inside her and then moves to the side of Chloe, throwing herself down on the bed, the strap on discarded on the floor.

"Fuck," Victoria pants, raising a hand to wipe the sweat from her face.

"Mmm," Chloe hums, her eyes now half-lidded, as she lies with her head facing Victoria on the pillow.

Victoria notices Chloe's hair has fallen in front of her eyes and uses the same hand to reach over and push it back behind her ear. It's damp with sweat and sticking to Chloe's skin. Victoria rests her hand in Chloe's hair, stroking it gently. Chloe hums some more at the feeling, her eyes drooping shut with exhaustion and need for sleep.

"Was that okay?" Victoria whispers, leaning in close so her head's resting against Chloe's, who's still lay down on her stomach, whilst Victoria is lying on her side.

"Hella," Chloe mumbles, seriously beginning to lose the fight against sleep.

Victoria chuckles quietly, before sitting up and reaching for a thin sheet at the end of her bed. She drapes it over herself and Chloe, lying back down onto her side and wrapping her right arm around Chloe's waist. Chloe's breathing has calmed and deepened, her eyes now firmly shut as she lightly snores.

Victoria smiles at the sight, before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on Chloe's lips. Cozying up against Chloe's body, skin on bare skin, Victoria gently runs her hand up and down Chloe's back and side, lulling her deeper into sleep. Before long, Victoria's feeling her own eyelids grow heavy and shut.

For the first time ever, Victoria dreams.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Stretching out with a yawn, Victoria forces her eyes open, lying back flat against the bed. Morning sunlight streams through her windows, warming up the room, the brightness causing her eyes to squint. With another yawn, Victoria leans over, looking at the clock on her desk. It's after 10am. Shit. She's really late. Having completely missed the first two periods and currently missing third, too.

"Fuck it," Victoria sighs, lying flat back on her bed again and staring at the ceiling.

The window is still open, bringing in a nice breeze from outside that washes over her, tickling her exposed and bare skin. She can make out some sounds from passing students and cars outside, as well as singing birds. It has a soothing effect on her, almost lulling her back into slumber. However, she can feel slight movement next to her, accompanied by the occasional murmur and light snore, preventing her from doing just that. Instead, Victoria rolls onto her side to face the source of it all.

Chloe is still lying on her stomach, sprawled out, her arms tucked under the pillow, propping her head up. Victoria has had to drape her own legs over Chloe's, just so she can fit on the tiny twin sized bed with her. Chloe is oblivious and still sound asleep. She's remained that way the whole night. No dreams. At least, none that Victoria is aware of. She's a light sleeper and is certain she would have heard or been woken by Chloe if she did have one.

Chloe's hair is a mess, resembling that of a bird's nest. It's covering the majority of her face, the parts that aren't already buried deep into the pillow, that is. Victoria can only see some of her lips and chin. Dropping her gaze, Victoria's eyes wander over Chloe's exposed back and side, where the sheet has fallen away in the night. She sucks air in in-between her teeth at the sight of the bruise on Chloe's side. Last night, it was dark in her room and she couldn't make it out like she can now, in the light of day. It's clear the bruise has aged, the colour of it now a dark sort of purple, appearing black in spots, as opposed to the reddish colour it was. It still looks nasty and sore, though. Victoria lifts a hand and reaches out towards Chloe's side, lightly tracing her fingertips over it.

The sensation against Chloe's skin causes her to stir in her sleep. Victoria smiles as she hears Chloe let out a loud, irritated, sleepy groan, shifting her body away from Victoria's hand as she does. Victoria being Victoria, just moves her hand closer and continues with what she was doing. Chloe groans again, before moving one of her arms from under the pillow to slap at Victoria's hand. Except she misses, her hand slapping nothing but air, before falling back down against the mattress. This makes Victoria chuckle, so she continues her torment on Chloe.

"That tickles," Chloe mumbles, her voice muffled against the pillow. She lifts her hand again, this time successfully slapping Victoria's hand away.

Victoria laughs. "You big baby," she says, nudging Chloe's leg with her own.

Chloe doesn't say anything, opting to just groan in response. Victoria isn't sure if she's awake or not, seen as she can't see if her eyes are open, so she lifts her hand to brush her hair back from her face. Victoria isn't surprised to see them still firmly shut, remembering from the previous morning how hard it is to wake Chloe.

Sighing to herself, Victoria accepts defeat, for now, and sits up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She decides that she may as well spend the rest of third getting ready and stands up from the bed. Throwing on a robe, she grabs some shower supplies and exits her room. The dorms are dead with everyone else in class and that leaves the showers free for her. She doesn't take too long, though, eager to get back to her room and see the blue haired sleeping beauty.

After a quick shower, she sets about brushing her teeth and styling her pixie cut, which is almost dry after running her towel over it. One of the many advantages to having shorter hair. Victoria smirks to herself in the mirror's reflection, satisfied with what she's seeing, before tidying away her things into her bag and heading back to her room.

She's been gone almost twenty minutes and Chloe is still dead to the world, though she's now taking up the whole of the bed, with Victoria no longer in the way. Victoria almost feels guilty for having to wake her, but she can't just leave her here all day, either, can she? Now's the best time for her to leave, when everyone else is out of the dorms.

Smiling mischievously to herself, Victoria picks up her damp and heavy towel, swinging it and twisting it into rope formation. It's rather fortunate that Chloe is sleeping on her stomach, because it gives Victoria free range for the perfect ass slap with the twisted up towel.

Creeping closer to the bed, Victoria is stood within perfect distance and stops swinging the towel around, only to quickly release it with one hand and whip it in the direction of Chloe's ass. A huge THWACK fills the room, followed by a loud yell and a round of expletives.

"What the fuck?! Jesus fucking Christ, shit balls!" Chloe shouts, throwing herself up from the bed. Unfortunately for her, her foot gets tangled in the sheets and she loses her footing, sending herself flying and falling flat on her face inches in front of of Victoria's feet.

Victoria erupts into evil laughter at the sight, her hands sweeping over her face and wiping away tears. Chloe groans from her position on the floor, wriggling her feet out from the tangled up sheets, before rolling over onto her back to look up at Victoria.

"You're an asshole," Chloe sighs, blowing hair out of her face so she can meet Victoria's gaze, which is upside down.

"I... know," Victoria forces out in-between laughter, looking down at Chloe.

Chloe isn't impressed, so a mischievous thought of her own comes to mind. Victoria's still too preoccupied with her laughing fit to notice Chloe's arm shoot out above her head, firmly grasping Victoria's leg and giving it a very swift and hard tug. The unexpected force of Chloe's hand pulling her leg causes Victoria to stumble and fall forward onto the floor, too, landing with a thud next to Chloe.

"Ow," Victoria cries, amusement still evident in her voice, regardless.

"Serves you right, bitch," Chloe growls, shooting up from her spot and quickly moving to pin Victoria down, straddling her hips as she does.

Victoria is still laughing, only now she's squirming under Chloe, doing her best throw her off of her. Chloe is ridiculously strong though, holding her down. Victoria manages to wriggle a hand free and immediately goes for Chloe's weakness. Her side. Unleashing a tickling attack, Chloe shrieks out and loses some of her strength, which gives Victoria the advantage of bucking her hips, almost throwing her off. However, Chloe is quick to react and makes a grab for Victoria's hand, throwing it down above her head. She does the same with her other hand and now, Chloe is pinning both arms above Victoria's head by the wrists. Victoria's hips are bucking wildly in desperate attempts to get Chloe off of her, her legs thrashing behind Chloe's back against the floor.

"Nice try, Chase," Chloe pants, her breathing laboured from all the movement, her hands still firmly clasped against Victoria's wrists.

Victoria stops her movements altogether and simply resigns herself to being pinned down by Chloe. Her laughter has died off now, with only the sound of her hard and heavy breaths filling the silence, as her chest heaves up and down below Chloe. Victoria's eyes wander over Chloe's face that's inches above her own, before working their way down and taking note of the fact that Chloe is still stark fucking naked. Victoria feels excitement shoot through her at the sight, her arousal starting to pool slowly but surely between her legs. She snaps her eyes back up to meet Chloe's, who's still staring down at her, her breathing equally as ragged. Chloe's face is wearing an irritated frown, her brows furrowed down at Victoria. It quickly softens though, when Victoria smiles up timidly at her, batting her eyelashes as she does.

"You think you're so cute," Chloe snorts, the air from her mouth tickling Victoria's face.

"Aren't I?" Victoria asks, feigning a hurt expression.

This takes Chloe by surprise, thinking she's hurt the blonde haired girl's feelings.

"I-I.." Chloe stammers, "mean, yeah... Sure," she blurts. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion, a blush working its way across her pale cheeks.

Victoria can't help smiling at the sight of Chloe losing her resolve. A hard exterior, giving way to mushy softness underneath it all. Victoria never finds anything adorable, but now she feels that changing, staring up into Chloe's eyes. Chloe is doing her best to hold Victoria's gaze, but Victoria can sense how awkward she feels in the silence and intimacy of the moment, her body practically squirming on top of Victoria's, when it should be Victoria squirming under her.

"You're not so bad yourself," Victoria whispers, lifting her body as much as she can to plant a quick kiss along Chloe's jaw.

Chloe's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, her head cocking to the side as her blush deepens. Her eyes blinking and her body unmoving.

"I know," Chloe says after a short pause, clearing her throat as she does, before shooting Victoria her shit-eating grin.

"Don't flatter yourself too much, Kari," Victoria chuckles, shaking her head.

"Why do you call me that?" Chloe asks, her face now serious, her eyes searching Victoria's.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Victoria smirks.

Chloe stays silent, her gaze unwavering from Victoria's. Her only response is to squeeze Victoria's wrists, as a reminder of who is in control right now. Victoria's breath hitches in her throat in reaction to Chloe's power play. She can feel herself growing wetter, so she brings her legs together behind Chloe's back, crossing one over the other.

"At first," Victoria starts, clearing her own throat, "it was to piss you off. Now, it's just out of habit."

"To piss me off?" Chloe asks, another frown forming on her face.

"Yeah," Victoria sighs, tightening her legs together at the sight of Chloe's expression.

"Why?"

"You... You look hot when you're angry," Victoria blurts, a blush of her own creeping its way to her cheeks. She can feel the heat rising from her face now, as well as from in-between her thighs.

Chloe lets out a small laugh at Victoria's words and the sight of her growing embarrassment, her head shaking from side to side in disbelief.

"Anyone ever told you you're fucked up, Chase?" Chloe asks.

Victoria doesn't know what to do or say, so she just smiles her best bitch smile up at Chloe and nods her head. Chloe mimics her movements and starts nodding her head in return. Their eyes still locked in an intense stare.

After a few moments, Chloe lowers her head so her mouth is to the side of Victoria's ear.

"Thought so," Chloe whispers, before nipping Victoria's ear, eliciting a small moan out of the girl.

Chloe raises her head back up slowly, her cheek brushing up against Victoria's as she does. Victoria takes this opportunity to move her head and catch Chloe's lips with her own, biting down onto her lower lip for extra grasp, pulling her into a kiss. Chloe lets out a moan of her own and presses her lips harder against Victoria's, deepening their kiss. She runs her tongue along Victoria's bottom lip, before it's hungrily accepted into her parted mouth, her own tongue greeting it eagerly in a clash. The kiss grows desperate and sloppy, their teeth knocking together faintly as their tongues fight for dominance. Both of their breaths have grown shallow and ragged, their chests heaving up and down, almost meeting in the middle. Without thinking, Victoria starts to grind her hips up against Chloe's, who grinds her own down into Victoria, her excitement working its way from in-between her legs onto Victoria's robe.

After a few minutes, Chloe breaks the kiss, resting her forehead against Victoria's as she does her best to catch her breath and calm her breathing.

"I should go," Chloe breathes, her warm breath adding to the heat in Victoria's face.

Before Victoria has a chance to respond, Chloe has released her grip on her wrists and is standing up from her straddled position on her body. Turning away, she reaches down, picking up her discarded clothes from the night and begins to get dressed. Victoria stays lying on the floor, her body already missing the warmth from Chloe's.

"You got plans or something?" Victoria asks.

"Erm, yeah," Chloe says, working one of her legs into her jeans, doing her best not to stumble, "I have to meet Frank."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I need to give him his money from this weekend and then, I think I'm meeting Rachel later." With her jeans on, Chloe works her bra back on.

"Oh, right, cool," Victoria says, sitting up from the floor and doing her best to ignore that jealous pang in her chest that Taylor had explained to her.

"Yup," Chloe smiles, throwing her shirt over head head, before sitting down to put her combat boots on.

"I have class to get to anyway," Victoria sighs, standing up and making her way over to her make-up table, where she sits and sets about applying it.

"Aren't you, like, hella late?" Chloe snorts, moving onto the other boot.

"Yeah, but like I give a shit," Victoria scoffs, casting a glance at Chloe through the reflection in her mirror.

"Preach it, sista," Chloe says, standing up and looking around for her plaid shirt, which she notices is on the floor by the door.

With her back still turned to face Chloe and her room, Victoria listens as Chloe puts on her shirt and goes about the room gathering her things. She can't help feeling sad at the sounds, but she squashes it down, being sure to plant an unbothered expression on her face.

"Anyway, er, thanks for last night," Chloe says from behind her, "and for letting me crash."

"No problem, Kari," Victoria smiles, turning her body to face Chloe in her chair. "Just don't let anyone see you on your way out."

"Why? You embarrassed of being seen with me, Chase?" Chloe asks, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Obviously," Victoria scoffs, before shooting Chloe a small smile.

"Yeah, well, I'm embarrassed to be seen with a bitch like you, too," Chloe snorts, flipping Victoria the bird.

"Touche," Victoria nods, before turning to look back in her make-up mirror.

Chloe meets her gaze in the reflection and simply nods, before turning to open the door and leave.

"We should do it again sometime," Victoria calls out before Chloe can leave, her sudden confidence even surprising herself.

Chloe turns to look back at her as she stands in the doorway, her arm holding the door open.

"Sure," Chloe smiles, winking at Victoria in the mirror, before turning and closing the door behind her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

'What a crazy fucking night,' Chloe thinks, as she strolls down the hall of the dorms, her hand rifling through her pockets in search of her cigarettes.

Finding her cigarettes, Chloe keeps walking, her head down and her attention on removing one from the packet. She hasn't noticed a blonde haired girl step out of her room ahead of her, her keys in hand and working on locking the door.

Chloe only notices her when it's too late and their bodies collide, the cigarettes in Chloe's hands falling from her grasp as she reaches out to grasp onto the person she just walked into, preventing herself and them from falling.

"Jesus, Price!" Rachel half-yells, her heart racing at the sudden and unexpected collision with something blue out of the corner of her eye. Chloe's smell of smoke, pot and booze is also unmistakable.

"Shit! Sorry!" Chloe says, turning her attention to look up into an all-too-familiar face. "Rachel?"

"How observant," Rachel says, her face breaking out into a big smile, before throwing her arms around the blue haired punk.

Chloe laughs, wrapping her arms around the girl that's clinging onto her. "Sorry, I didn't see you."

"It's okay," Rachel laughs into Chloe's shoulder, "it's my fault for not picking up your scent sooner." Rachel pulls back from Chloe's grasp to face her, her face scrunched up in feigned disgust. "Wild night?"

"Oh... Er..." Chloe drops her arms from around Rachel and blushes. She lifts her hand to the back of her neck, rubbing it in embarrassment.

"Relax, dude, it's fine," Rachel laughs again, nudging Chloe on the shoulder with her hand.

"R-Right, cool" Chloe chuckles, stumbling slightly on her words, before smiling at Rachel.

"So, what are you doing here?" Rachel asks, shooting Chloe a knowing smile. Her eyes zero in on Chloe's black eye and the cut on her eyebrow. "And... What the fuck happened to your face?"

"Would you believe me if I said I've come to see you?" Chloe asks, her shit-eating grin making an appearance as she tries to distract Rachel from the situation. And from the question about her face.

Rachel stops smiling and looks purposefully thoughtful, raising her hand to stroke an imaginary beard. "I would... If you hadn't been walking from the wrong direction," she laughs, slapping Chloe lightly on her arm.

Chloe laughs and shakes her head, before looking at Rachel again. "I've missed you, Amber."

"Missed you too, Price," Rachel says, cocking her head with a hand on her hip. "But seriously, what happened to your face?"

Chloe smirks, sticking her hands in her pockets and shifting back on her heels. "It's nothing that hasn't happened before. I'll explain later, promise. Shall we?" Chloe asks, moving to gesture towards the door leading down to the exit of the dorms.

Rachel audibly sighs, raising an eyebrow at Chloe's answer with a small shake of her head. She knows there's no point in pressing Chloe for answers now, though. Not that she has time to anyway, with class starting soon.

"We shall, but first, don't forget those," Rachel replies, pointing down to the fallen cigarettes on the floor.

Chloe follows Rachel's pointed finger and notices her cigarettes, quickly swooping down to pick them up, before shooting Rachel a thankful smile and moving towards the door.

"Shouldn't you be in class or something?" Chloe asks, walking side by side with Rachel as she lights up a cigarette.

"I should, but it was cancelled. Now I'm heading back for next period," Rachel nods, her left arm grasping onto her right as they walk, her body swaying from side to side slightly with every step.

"Gotcha," Chloe smiles, exhaling smoke. "How was your weekend?"

"It was good, yeah," Rachel says, her attention on the ground ahead of them. "It was nice catching up with people."

"I bet," Chloe sighs, kicking at an imaginary stone and taking another drag. "So, we still meeting up later?"

"Yeah. Jefferson's class finishes at 3. Meet me outside?" Rachel asks, casting a quick side glance and smile at Chloe.

"Sure," Chloe nods, slowing her steps as they approach the entrance to Blackhell.

Rachel stops in front of her and wraps her arms around her in another hug, her chin resting on her shoulder. "Cool."

Stepping back, Rachel eyes Chloe suspiciously, successfully catching the punk's attention. "What?" she asks.

"Remember when we were dating and you would stay with me and... I'd warn you that the walls are super thin and that noise travels easily?" Rachel smirks, her eyes full of mischief.

"Yeah..." Chloe says, confusion evident in her face.

"I wasn't lying," Rachel laughs, winking at Chloe.

The realisation hits Chloe like a tonne of bricks to the face, her cheeks rapidly catching fire.

"Oh-.. I-I did-didn't..." Chloe stammers, scrunching her hands up into fists, the growing sweat on her palms becoming more and more apparent. She wishes she could just disappear right now.

Rachel laughs and throws her arms reassuringly around Chloe again. "It's okay, Chloe," Rachel snorts against her shoulder. Her laughter causes her body to shake and vibrate against Chloe's. "I'm glad you had a fun night."

Before Chloe's brain and mouth can work together to form words, Rachel has released her from their hug and has turned to walk up the steps to the entrance.

"I'll see you at 3," Rachel calls out, waving briefly at Chloe, before opening the door and walking inside.

Chloe remains standing there, speechless, for at least a good minute, before she feels the sudden searing pain against her index and middle finger. She'd completely forgotten about her cigarette during that awkward exchange with Rachel.

"Shit!" Chloe cries, throwing the butt of her cigarette down on the floor and stomping on it.

Sticking her fingers in her mouth to soothe over the burn, Chloe sulks to herself as she walks back to the parking lot.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Leaning back in the seat of her truck, Chloe retrieves her phone from her pocket and finds Frank's number before hitting dial. After a few rings, a rough and blatantly hungover voice greets her.

"What the fuck do you want?" Frank asks, the irritation in his voice loud and clear.

"I have your money," Chloe says, shifting in her seat. "Where do you want to meet?"

"The usual place," Frank sighs, followed by a click as the call is disconnected on his end.

"Asshole," Chloe breathes, tossing her phone on the seat next to her.

Opening the door to her truck, Chloe steps out and slams it shut. The loud sound scares away some birds that were resting on the roof of her house. Chloe stays unmoving, staring up at her home. 'Home, shit, home,' Chloe thinks, eyeing up the peeling paint on the half-painted house. David has been living here for almost three years now and has never bothered to fix the place up. Not that Chloe would ever let him, anyway. Painting over her father's work would be an insult to herself and Joyce, who have now both grown used to seeing it this way. The sight always sparking memories of William and his love of DIY chores.

When he was still alive, he'd often let Chloe help out with fixing things up. He'd do his best to teach her as they worked together on projects, but the pair would often get distracted with their jokes and silliness, which also often led to accidents. Chloe would then spend time patching William up with their trusty first aid kit, adding to the many band aids already on his fingers and hands from previous mishaps. It was usually for these reasons that projects would take forever to complete. Unbeknownst to Chloe at the time, a major accident that cost William his life, as opposed to his finger, that no amount of band aids could fix, was what would leave the house painting job incomplete. Having often considered it in the past, Chloe could never bring herself to finish it on his behalf. Even after five years, the thought alone brings her pain, her insides twisting in agony. So, over her dead body, would she ever, EVER, let a shithead like David finish it for them.

Speaking of which, said shithead is now standing in the doorway to the Price household, staring at Chloe.

"Chloe! What are you doing standing there?!" David shouts, snapping Chloe from her thoughts.

"Relax, step-douche, I didn't know there was a fucking law against standing outside my house," Chloe spits, shooting daggers at David.

"Are you high? You look like a God damn zombie!" David yells, pointing his finger at Chloe in an accusatory way.

"No! Jesus!" Chloe shouts, walking up and barging past David.

"You stink," David grunts, getting a waft of smoke and pot as Chloe barges past, flipping him the bird behind her back. Thankfully, he doesn't have the strength for her today and gives up, disappearing into the garage.

Walking into the kitchen, Chloe is greeted with the sight of her mother washing the dishes by the sink. Sighing, she quickly turns and opens the fridge, her stomach reminding her of its lack of contents with a growl.

"Morning, Chloe," Joyce says, shooting a quick glance over her shoulder at Chloe, who's head is hidden behind the open fridge door.

"Hey," Chloe mumbles from behind it, her eyes scanning over the food and drink inside.

Picking up the orange juice, she slams the fridge door shut and grabs herself a glass from the cupboard.

"Where were you last night?" Joyce asks, working the sponge over a plate.

"Out," Chloe huffs, pouring herself some juice, before downing most of it one big gulp.

Joyce sighs at Chloe's answer, shaking her head as she finishes the last of the dishes. Wiping her hands on a dish cloth, she turns to look at her rebellious daughter, who's now gone and helped herself to some leftover pancakes from the kitchen counter. Joyce quickly catches sight of the black eye and her disapproving look is replaced with one of concern.

"What happened to your eye?!" Joyce asks, moving over to Chloe and lifting her head by her chin to face her.

"I fell," Chloe says through a full mouth, snapping her head away from Joyce's hand.

"You... Fell?" Joyce asks, her tone full of disbelief, the hand Chloe rejected now firmly planted on her hip.

Chloe just nods, swallowing her food, before taking another bite from the pancake in her hand.

"It looks like you fell face first onto someone's fist," Joyce snaps, cocking her head to eye Chloe up, her eyes flicking between the cut on her eyebrow and her gaze.

"No. I was at a party and I fell down some steps. It happens, you know?" Chloe snaps back, spitting some pancake crumbs out as she does.

"After drinking one too many, maybe," Joyce sighs, shaking her head again.

"Right," Chloe scoffs, finishing her pancake and taking a final swig of her juice, before letting out a burp.

"Are you at least going to be home for dinner tonight?"

"I dunno. Maybe? I'm meeting Rachel later," Chloe replies, before turning to walk out of the kitchen.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Chloe makes it to the top and turns to enter her room. Remembering Rachel and David's comments from before, she decides to take a shower and change her clothes before going out to meet Frank.

After a quick shower, Chloe forgoes putting make-up over her black eye this time and changes into her usual get-up of a skull tank top, ripped jeans and boots, before throwing on her leather jacket and beanie. Gathering up her things and putting them into her pockets, she then moves over to her bed and kneels down before it. Reaching underneath, she pulls out a metal box and opens it. Inside is usually just a bunch of mementos, but it's also where she decided to stash Frank's money for safe-keeping. Grabbing the wad of cash, she closes the box and pushes it back underneath her bed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"What now, Price?" Frank spits on the other end of the phone.

Chloe rolls her eyes and sighs. This isn't going to be easy. "I need you to meet me at the auto repair shop near Two Whales."

"What? Why?!"

"My truck took a shit on the way to meet you, Frank. I got towed here."

"Well I suggest you get your ass on a bus and fucking meet me then."

"Frank, for fuck's sake!" Chloe yells, shoving her free hand in her jacket pocket, before turning and noticing the stares from the employees. Taking a deep breath, she does her best to stay calm. "I need my truck and I can't afford the cost of repairs. I already blew most of my money on the towing cost."

"That sounds like it's not my problem."

"Frank, please," Chloe says, gritting her teeth. "I need help, dude. If I could fix it myself, I would, but there's too much that needs doing."

Chloe can make out Frank moving around in the background and what sounds like a beer bottle being opened.

"How much?" Frank sighs.

"Three thousand," Chloe mutters, crossing her fingers in her pocket.

The sound of laughter blares through her phone, it's so loud, Chloe has to move it away from her ear slightly. A mechanic walking past hears it, too, and raises an eyebrow at Chloe, before turning away and going back to what he was doing. Chloe just stands shaking her head, waiting for Frank to stop.

"Fucking kids," Frank laughs, disdain still evident in his tone. "Fuck off, Price."

"Frank, please," Chloe sighs, turning to walk further away from others around her. "I can't do jobs for you without my truck.

"And why the fuck not?"

"What? You want me running around with cash and drugs on public transport? What if someone fucking mugs me?! What if I run into police and need to get the fuck out of there quickly? Am I going to just sit and wait twenty fucking minutes for the bus to show?!" Chloe snaps.

"You've fucked up with the police before, Price," Frank snorts. Chloe can hear him taking a drink from his beer.

"That's besides the point, dude, imagine how much worse it would be if I didn't have a ride."

"I still don't see a problem here."

"I'll work more. I'll do whatever jobs you have going. Just think of this as an advance or some shit," Chloe pleads, the desperation coming through in her tone.

The line stays silent. She can hear Frank moving around again, his breathing growing louder. Chloe stays silent, too, hoping he's just thinking it over. She doesn't want to say anything to him that might piss him off more.

"Stay there. I have a call to make," Frank grunts. The line goes dead as a click is heard.

"Asshole," Chloe spits, kicking at the ground, before ramming her phone back into her pocket.

"Everything okay over there?" a man covered in dirt and oil calls out to her.

"Y-Yeah, dude, s'fine. Just waiting on a call about-" Chloe says, stopping herself to gesture towards her truck.

The man nods and goes back to working on the engine of a different car.

Chloe takes the time to walk further up and around the side of shop, retrieving a cigarette from her pocket as she does. Leaning back against the wall, with one of her feet propped up on it, she lights it and takes a long drag. Her exhale is shaky, her nerves having been worked up.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Just give her the money," Rachel sighs, doing her best to keep her voice low as she makes her way towards her locker, with class having just finished.

"It's a lot of fucking money," Frank spits, running his hand through his hair, his other hand firmly gripped on his phone.

"I know, just please, humour me," Rachel says, working the combination on her locker with her free hand.

"Fine," Frank grunts, "for you. But this is a loan. I expect it back. She good for it?"

"She will be," Rachel nods subconsciously, scanning over the books in her locker.

"That doesn't sound promising, Rach," Frank sighs, shifting in his seat and picking up his beer.

"She'll get it back to you. Just..." Rachel breathes, finally picking up the book she's after, "make sure you at least give her time. Please."

"Fine," Frank scoffs, taking a swig from his beer.

"Thanks. Look, I have to go, I'm meeting my photography teacher. He's helping me out with my work."

"Later," Frank says, patiently waiting for Rachel to respond before hanging up.

"Later."

. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chloe's on her fifth cigarette and is impatiently pacing around the side of the shop. It's been over half an hour and Frank still hasn't called her back. Taking her phone out from her pocket, she checks the time yet again. It's nearing 1pm.

Bringing up her contacts, she finds Frank and is about to hit the dial option when she hears the familiar sound of an old and shitty RV approaching. Looking up, she spots Frank pull in and slowly come to a stop near to where she's standing. Shaking her head, she pockets her phone and starts to make her way over to his door.

It feels like a small eternity waiting for Frank to emerge from his RV. Chloe is doing her best to remain patient, rocking back on the heels of her boots with her hands in her pockets, glancing around at anyone who may be stood nearby.

After a minute or so, the door opens and a rough looking Frank steps down, a clear frown plastered on his face. His gaze locks onto Chloe's and his eyebrows furrow even more.

"Hey there, Frank," Chloe says, a lighter tone in her voice, her shit-eating grin making a flash appearance. "Whatcha doing here?"

"Cut the shit, Chloe," Frank spits, stuffing a hand into his pocket and bringing out a large wad of cash.

"Whoa-" Chloe starts.

"This is a loan. Not a fucking advance. I expect every cent of it back," Frank says, shooting Chloe a serious look, the wrinkles in his forehead growing deeper.

"What?" Chloe asks, eyeing up the money in his hand briefly, before looking up to meet his stare again.

"You're still going to do jobs for me and I'm not going to pay you for them," Frank states. Chloe's mouth is agape and she looks like she's ready to protest, so Frank quickly shoots a hand up in front of her as a signal that he's not yet finished. "And I expect every cent of this back. Do you understand me, Price? I'm not a fucking charity."

"What the fuck, dude?" Chloe says, her brows furrowing as she throws her hands out, which are still in her pockets, so it looks like she's flashing him. "How am I supposed to pay it back if you're not paying me for jobs?"

"Don't know, don't care. Get another job, maybe?" Frank spits, turning to lean against the side of his RV, the wad of cash still in his grip.

"I-I can't, I would need-" Chloe starts again, her head shaking and beginning to pace in front of him.

"Time?" Frank asks, cutting Chloe off and nodding his head. "Six months. That's it, Price. After that, I'm adding interest."

Hearing those words, Chloe stops pacing, a small smile flashing across her face, her back turned to Frank so he can't see. Her and Rachel will be way the fuck out of here by then. She won't have to pay him back at all. She turns back to face Frank and takes a couple of steps towards him, being sure to keep a serious look on her.

"That's generous, Frank," Chloe says, shooting him a small smile.

"Too fucking generous," Frank scoffs, turning his head to the side to spit onto the ground. Chloe scrunches her face up in disgust at the sight. "I figure six months is more than enough for you to find a job and save up. Or whatever it is you choose to do to get me my fucking money."

"Right," Chloe breathes, nodding her head.

"Do we have an understanding?"

"It's a deal," Chloe smiles, remembering again that she won't even be here by then.

Frank just nods the once and throws the money in Chloe's direction. Chloe fails to react fast enough, her hands getting caught up in her pockets, so the wad of cash just smacks her in the face and falls to the ground in front of her.

Frank snorts at the sight and shakes his head, as Chloe bends down to retrieve the money. "Real fucking smooth, kid."

Chloe looks up at him and just frowns in annoyance, choosing to stay silent so Frank doesn't change his mind about the "loan".

"I'll be in touch," Frank says, spitting once more on the ground, before pushing himself off the side of the RV and climbing back in. He slams the door shut before Chloe has the chance to say anything.

Handing over the cash for the repairs on her truck, Chloe notices Frank has deducted the amount she was supposed to be giving him today for the job she did over the weekend. Thankfully, he was kind enough to not deduct her own payment, too. What little money she has left now is going to have to be used for bus fare, as the employee tells her that the repairs will take a few days.

… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Standing outside the entrance to Blackwell, Chloe leans against an announcement board. Various posters are pinned onto it, mainly ones warning students of the dangers of taking drugs and that it's a gun free zone. Chloe is oblivious though, her eyes on the ground in front of her. Boredom is starting to take over. She's been stood waiting for five minutes, but it feels like five years.

Taking her phone from her pocket, she checks the time. 3:10pm. Rachel's late. Usually it's Chloe that's late, but without her truck, she's managed to be on time after having to stick to the bus schedule instead of her own. She opens their messages and types out a quick text.

Chloe: Where are u?

Rachel replies within seconds.

Rachel: Be there soon. Sorry, just talking to my teacher.

Chloe nods at her screen and pockets her phone, before glancing around at the campus. Seeing no security or her step-dick around, she takes a cigarette out and lights it. Students are starting to make their way out in groups, eager to get their day out of school started. Chloe does her best to move to the side and give them enough room to pass.

After a minute or two, Chloe drops her cigarette and puts a foot out to stamp it out. She hasn't noticed the blonde haired boy walking out, followed by a bunch of his cronies. He trips on her foot and stumbles, nearly falling down the steps.

"Watch it, freak!" the boy shouts, glaring at Chloe.

Chloe opens her mouth to apologise, but quickly shuts it again when she looks up and sees it's Nathan Prescott. Instead, she chooses to smile smugly and give him the finger.

"The least you could do is apologise," a girl to Chloe's right says. Chloe turns to look and sees Courtney stood there, alongside Taylor and Victoria.

"Trash like that doesn't know what manners are," a girl behind Courtney snorts. Chloe doesn't recognise her.

Victoria is stood awkwardly eyeing Chloe up and down. She doesn't know what to do or say. She does, however, know Rachel won't be far behind them. Chloe turns and looks at her, their eyes meeting.

"Hey, freak, I was talking to you," Nathan says, pushing Chloe to against the wall and breaking her gaze from Victoria.

Every girl, apart from Victoria, starts to giggle at the sight. Chloe can see one girl turning to whisper into Victoria's ear. Victoria just shrugs her off and scowls.

"Fuck off, Nathan," Chloe spits, turning to look back at the boy in front of her.

"You fucking tripped me, bitch," Nathan yells, inching his face closer to Chloe's, doing his best to appear intimidating. Chloe doesn't even flinch.

"Boo fucking hoo," Chloe snorts, shoving him back a step.

"Nathan," Victoria finally pipes up, causing him to turn and look at her. Her face is one of warning. Nathan's face softens slightly and he nods, taking a step back from Chloe.

"Whatthefuckever," Nathan sighs, straightening up his clothes. He turns and starts to make his way down the steps.

Victoria meets Chloe's gaze again and offers a small and quick apologetic smile, before switching back to a serious expression.

"Nice wardrobe you got there," Courtney says, her tone mocking, as she eyes Chloe up and down, a look of disgust painted on her face.

"Courtney!" Victoria snaps.

"What?" Courtney asks, glancing at Victoria suspiciously. She can't help wondering why Victoria hasn't joined in with the taunts. Victoria notices her look, though.

"Why are we stood here wasting time on this trash? Let's fucking go already," Victoria snaps, shaking her head at Courtney, before walking ahead of them and down the steps. "Like I haven't got better things to do right now," she calls back.

Victoria is eager to get away, she doesn't want Rachel to walk out and find them hounding Chloe. Plus, she doesn't want to hound her. Seeing the others be cruel towards her only pissed her off. She hadn't realised she was in this deep. And not being able to do or say anything about it is frustrating, but she can't let the others know. She can't show her true feelings.

Hearing Courtney and Taylor following close behind her, Victoria pulls out her phone and types out a quick message.

Victoria: Sorry about that.

Chloe stays watching as Victoria and her minions walk away in the direction of the dorms. Hearing her phone go off, she retrieves it from her pocket, wondering if Rachel has sent her another text. Her eyebrows raise in surprise at the message from Victoria.

Chloe: It's fine. Don't want to be wasting time with trash like me.

Victoria: It's not like that.

Chloe just shakes her head and pockets her phone, not bothering with a reply. Victoria can sit and stew over it.

Another minute passes and Rachel finally emerges from the doors. Chloe smiles and throws her arms around her in a warm greeting.

"Finally!" Chloe laughs, releasing Rachel.

"Sorry," Rachel smiles. She seems especially happy.

"You're in a good mood," Chloe comments, turning to start her walk down the steps.

"I am, yeah," Rachel giggles, walking to meet Chloe's pace.

"Any particular reason why?" Chloe asks, shooting Rachel a side glance.

"Nope. Just happy to see you!" Rachel says, a huge grin on her face as she throws an arm around Chloe's shoulder, resting it there whilst continuing their walk.

"Um, okay," Chloe laughs. "By the way, my truck is fucked. It's in the shop for repairs so I can't give you a ride anywhere for a few days."

"Oh," Rachel nods, "that's okay. We can just chill in my dorm for tonight."

"Sweet," Chloe smiles, putting her arm around Rachel, too, as they turn and head for the dorms.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"V, what was that back there?" Taylor asks, walking close behind Victoria as they enter her dorm room.

"What was what?" Victoria asks, throwing her bag down onto the sofa, not bothering to turn and look at Taylor.

"With that Chloe girl. You were acting weird," Taylor says, standing awkwardly behind Victoria, her hands rubbing anxiously up and down the sides of her thighs.

Victoria can feel a blush forming on her face, but she quickly shakes it off and does her best to compose herself.

After a few moments, she finally turns to face Taylor, her hands on her hips.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Victoria says, feigning confusion towards Taylor.

"It's just I've never seen you act like that before," Taylor mutters, turning her attention to the floor.

"Act like what?" Victoria snaps, shaking her head slightly, her eyebrow raised.

"I don't know... Nice?" Taylor says. "Well, no, not nice. But not... Not nice, either."

"Not a bitch, basically?"

"Yeah, that," Taylor nods, looking up to smile at Victoria nervously.

"Not that it's any of your business," Victoria says, turning to sit down on the sofa, straightening her skirt out as she does, "but I just wasn't in the mood, okay?"

"I noticed you both looking at each other," Taylor responds, making her way over to sit next to Victoria. "And you smiled at her."

Victoria just sits and stares back at Taylor. Her face starts to form an angry expression. Taylor can't help but notice the displeased look and she quickly realises her mistake of bringing this up to Victoria. Her mouth opens ready to start apologising or to say something in order to defuse the situation, but before she can, she's surprised to see Victoria's face soften and a tear escape the corner of her eye.

"What part of not your business didn't you understand?" Victoria snaps, her voice cracking as she does, her hand quickly swiping away at the escaped tear.

"I-I...I'm sorry, V," Taylor blurts. She turns to fumble around in her purse and quickly retrieves a packet of tissues, which she hands to Victoria.

"What are these for?" Victoria frowns, eyeing up the tissues.

"Well... For the, uh... You know," Taylor says, gesturing at Victoria's face, before running her finger down the side of her own face, mimicking a tear.

Victoria scoffs and throws the packet of tissues back at Taylor. "I'm not crying."

Taylor stares dumbfounded at Victoria, her eyes blinking. Victoria is set in her denial though and shoots Taylor her best bitch smile, before standing and making her way towards her desk.

"Um... Okay," Taylor nods, her eyebrows raised in disbelief as she puts the tissues back into her purse.

"No one can know," Victoria murmurs from across the room, her back still turned to Taylor.

"What?" Taylor asks.

Victoria sighs and turns to face her, her shoulders slumping forward as she crosses her arms. Victoria's eyes are on the floor and she's mindlessly fidgeting with her feet on the floor, her right foot swiping along her left.

"About Chloe and me," Victoria says, her voice shaky.

"Oh," Taylor breathes, the realisation finally hitting her.

Taylor stands from her seat and walks over to Victoria, taking her by surprise when she wraps her arms around her. Victoria stays stiff and unmoving, but she doesn't shrug Taylor off, resigning herself to resting her head on the shorter girl's shoulder.

"It's okay," Taylor mumbles against Victoria, her grip tightening in reassurance.

Victoria just nods her head, breathing in heavily, before letting a long exhale. Taylor steps back, releasing Victoria from her grip, but leaves one hand on her shoulder.

"That explains the loud noises from last night," Taylor giggles, squeezing Victoria's arm.

Victoria snorts, shrugging Taylor's hand away. "Whatever."

"Was she the reason you were asking me all those questions?" Taylor asks, moving to sit in Victoria's desk chair.

"Yeah," Victoria sighs, letting her arms fall by her sides again, "I've never felt this way before about someone. It's confusing."

"That's so cute," Taylor squeals, clapping her hands in delight.

Victoria shoots her a disgusted look and shakes her head. Taylor quickly drops her hands to her lap and puts a serious face on at the sight.

"No. It's not," Victoria finally says, sighing audibly.

"Well, I won't tell anyone," Taylor smiles reassuringly.

Victoria just nods and turns to face her desk again, retrieving the book Taylor asked to borrow, which led to them both being here and having this conversation.

"Here," Victoria says, thrusting the book in Taylor's direction.

"Thanks," Taylor says, taking the book from her out-stretched hand.

"I'm tired. You should go now," Victoria says with a tone full of monotony and a deadpan look on her face.

"Oh," Taylor says, getting up from her seat, "okay."

Victoria shoots Taylor a half-assed smile, before moving over to her door and opening it for her.

"Well, let me know if you need anything or whatever," Taylor smiles, walking towards Victoria.

"I'll be fine," Victoria says.

"Okay," Taylor nods, moving to step out into the hall. She turns to look down it and notices someone outside another dorm room. She can't help letting a smile creep onto her face. Victoria notices and frowns, leaning out her head to look at whatever Taylor's looking at.

Chloe and Rachel are stood towards the bottom of the hall, they're both laughing and Rachel's rummaging around in her bag for her keys. Victoria's breath catches at the sight of Chloe's laughing, carefree and happy face. Chloe looks down the hall and quickly catches Victoria looking down at them, the smile on her face vanishing when she does, before she turns to look away and walk behind Rachel into her room.

Taylor turns to say something to Victoria, but before she can, the door is slammed shut in her face.

.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chloe: Okay, creeper, I forgive you for before. You don't have to stand and stare at me all sad like that.

Hitting send, Chloe throws herself down on Rachel's sofa and puts her feet up on the small table in front of her.

"Ugh," Chloe grunts, watching as Rachel throws herself down on her bed opposite her.

"I've missed my bed," Rachel mumbles against her pillow, clutching at the sheets.

Chloe chuckles. "Why? Did the fam have you sleeping on the floor or something?"

"Something like that," Rachel says, rolling her eyes at Chloe.

"So, Amber, what do you wanna do tonight?" Chloe asks, before looking down at her phone after receiving a new notification.

Victoria: I wasn't staring! And I wasn't sad!

Chloe: Whatever you say, Chase.

"I'm not really in the mood to do anything. How about a movie?"

Pocketing her phone, Chloe nods and stands up, walking over to Rachel's laptop on her desk.

"You have to tell me what happened to your face, though," Rachel says, sitting up and making room for Chloe next to her as she sits down, laptop in hand.

"Nathan Prescott clocked me," Chloe sighs, bringing up a browser and beginning to type. She's grateful for the task because it helps her avoid looking Rachel in the face.

"What?! Why?! When?!" Rachel fires rapidly, concern in her voice.

"Easy there, Rach," Chloe chuckles, "one question at a time."

"Chloe," Rachel says, nudging her in the arm to get her attention. Chloe rolls her eyes and turns to look at Rachel. "Tell me."

"I was at a party on Saturday and Nathan was there, drunk and obnoxious as usual. Shit happened."

"Shit happened?" Rachel asks, furrowing her eyebrows at Chloe in annoyance to her vague explanation.

"Yeah," Chloe nods, turning to look back at the laptop screen.

Rachel isn't having it, though, and slams the laptop screen shut, making Chloe jump.

"Alright," Chloe half-yells. "He was being an asshole to someone and I stepped in. He didn't like it when I threw my drink over him, so he clocked me."

Rachel can't help but let out a laugh, shaking her head simultaneously at Chloe as she does. "Unbelievable, Price. Always playing the hero," she finally says after her laughter dies out, a smile on her face.

Chloe chuckles and reaches into her pocket, pulling out her baggie of weed and some papers.

"Enough with the questions already," Chloe says, waving the baggie in front of Rachel's face, "we have a movie to watch."

Rachel grins at the sight of the baggie and nods her head in agreement, taking the laptop off of Chloe, who she sets about rolling up a joint for them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

It's been a few weeks since Rachel returned from her weekend "away". Things have been different. Not necessarily in a bad way, just different.

Chloe and Victoria have been seeing each other secretly and spending time together a few times a week. According to Chloe, it's been easy and fun. Victoria has loosened up a lot more since their first time and Chloe has been enjoying their time together since then as a result. Rachel managed to pry all of this out of Chloe and have her open up about her spending time with Victoria. At first, Chloe was hesitant to give much information up and it felt like pulling teeth for Rachel. Rachel had assumed it was because of her and Chloe's past, coupled with the fact Rachel and Victoria don't get on, that Chloe wasn't so forthcoming with details. But after a lot of reassurance, Rachel had eventually gotten Chloe there and they have finally been able to discuss things more freely and openly now.

But that has left Rachel with a guilty feeling.

Sitting forward in her seat, Rachel looks up from her lap and leans over to grab the bong in front of her. Taking a long hit, she closes her eyes and melts back down into her seat, exhaling slowly as she does.

Chloe still has no idea about Rachel's own secret affairs.

If anything, Rachel is thankful for Victoria's presence in Chloe's life in the sense that it's distracting Chloe enough for her not to really notice that Rachel has her own secret love life. Even when Chloe isn't spending time with Victoria, Rachel can easily explain most things away with school work and being tired. It's almost the end of senior year after all and even Chloe, despite being kicked out, can understand that that comes with a lot of pressure and work.

It doesn't stop the feelings of guilt, though. Especially when Chloe excitedly mentions getting out of Arcadia Bay with her once graduation is over.

"Fuck," Rachel spits, kicking the table in front of her and knocking a pile of magazines off.

After taking another hit, Rachel places the bong down by her side, when a lined notebook catches her eye that has fallen off with the magazines. An idea quickly springs to mind as she reaches down and picks up the notebook. Reaching for her bag, she rifles through it in pursuit of a pen. She knows she doesn't have long. Chloe had a late night last night with Victoria, but she still agreed to meet Rachel in the junkyard around noon. It's currently just after eleven and Rachel knows Chloe will be starting to drag her ass out of bed by now. With it being a Saturday, Rachel doesn't have any classes, but she still found herself waking up early this morning. She had figured she'd rather kill some time reading in the junkyard and catching up on school work before Chloe arrives. However, her mind kept getting distracted, so she decided to just sit and get high instead.

Whilst Chloe had been with Victoria the previous night, Rachel had met up with Mark. It hadn't been their first time meeting out of school hours, but after last night, Rachel knows now that what she feels for him is strong. She doesn't know what to do and she can't exactly go around talking about it with people. Chloe is the only one she can trust with this, but telling her isn't going to be easy. She doesn't know how exactly the punk is going to react to the revelation that Rachel has met someone new that she really likes. Rachel has come close to telling her about him on a couple of occasions, but she would always freeze up and stand looking awkward, her mouth gaping like a fish, whilst Chloe would stare at her with an eyebrow cocked, suspiciously.

Rachel sighs remembering this and throws her head back in frustration, her eyes searching the incomplete ceiling of the shack, where the gaps give way to a bright blue sky. Closing her eyes, Rachel breathes in deeply, doing her best to clear her mind, before sitting forward and staring at the notebook in her lap again.

She knows that at the very least, Chloe is going to press for details, just how she herself pressed her for details about Victoria. How Chloe will react when she finds out it's Mark, her photography teacher, is what Rachel is most uncertain about. But writing this letter is a start, right?

Right.

Opening the notebook to a fresh page, Rachel clicks her pen, tapping it briefly against her chin in thought, before she begins to write. By this point, she's lost count of the amount of hits she's taken from the bong and her writing isn't at its best. Her mind feels foggy and she keeps forgetting the words for things. By the time she's finished (if you can call it finished, that is), the page mainly consists of more scribbles than actual legible words. But it will have to do. The main message is there and she knows it's enough for Chloe to understand.

Checking her phone, Rachel notices it's after half past now and Chloe has sent her a message to let her know she's getting dressed and heading out shortly.

A sick feeling rises up from her stomach, leaving a lump in her throat. Rachel knows this is a shitty move on her end, but she can't be here when Chloe reads this. She's not ready to fully discuss it yet and she doesn't want to see her reaction to it. Besides, they both have a Vortex Club party to attend tonight. Rachel had brought it up to Chloe a couple weeks ago and, again thanks to Victoria, Chloe was much more open to attending it. With Chloe and Victoria's thing being secret, however, Chloe and Rachel were still going to be showing up together. They could talk about it then, when there's plenty of booze around to numb any feelings that surface or get hurt.

Ripping the letter from the notebook, Rachel places it down on the table and uses the bong as a paperweight for it. She knows for certain that Chloe won't miss it there and chuckles to herself.

Picking up her things, she packs them all away into her bag, before swinging it over her shoulder and making her way out of the junk shack.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

"Hey, Rach!" Chloe calls out, slamming her truck door shut. "Your hella awesome sauce friend is here!"

Being greeted with silence, Chloe shrugs and assumes Rachel is listening to music. Whistling along to a song that's been stuck in her head, Chloe strolls over to the junk shack, a slight hop in her steps.

Things have been good for Chloe. Easy. Apart from money being tight and the usual bullshit, things haven't been that bad. Victoria and her have been getting to know each other better and it's been relaxing. Yeah, she still acts like a major bitch with most things, but with Chloe, it's like she's a whole different person. Victoria had confided in Chloe about how she likes to put up a front so as to not leave herself feeling vulnerable and Chloe had understood after her own experiences.

Even though they were seeing each other, they hadn't spoken about what they were exactly and Chloe preferred it this way. She hasn't let Victoria know yet that she's planning on leaving Arcadia Bay after the end of the school year with Rachel and she doesn't know how the blonde is going to take it. Chloe, having always been aware of this, hasn't let herself get too deep. Yeah, she likes Victoria, but she's been keeping her feelings in check and distancing herself best she can emotionally. Fuck knows about Victoria, though.

"Hey, Rach," Chloe says, walking into the junk shack.

Chloe stops in her tracks by the door to the shack when she sees it's devoid of Rachel. Frowning to herself, Chloe reaches into her jacket and retrieves her phone, pulling up her conversation with Rachel.

Chloe: yo, where are u?

Hitting send, Chloe pockets her phone and moves her way further into the shack. It stinks of recently smoked pot.

"What the fuck?"

'Rachel must have been here,' Chloe thinks in reply to herself.

Spotting the bong on the table, Chloe walks over to it and grimaces as she picks it up.

"This needs a serious fucking clean," Chloe sighs, inspecting the bong in her hands.

Her phone alerts her to a new message so she quickly places the bong back down, before moving over to sit in the seat. Pulling out her phone from her pocket, she checks the message, only to see it's from Victoria and not Rachel.

Victoria: I have no idea what to wear for tonight.

Chloe: wear my favorite.

Victoria: I can't go to a party naked, Kari!

Chloe: damn.

Smirking to herself, Chloe scrolls through her contacts and finds Rachel's number and hits dial. The phone rings for a twenty seconds or so before Chloe is sent to voicemail. Chloe's eyebrows furrow and she shakes her head, ending the call without leaving a message. What now?

Chloe: Have u seen Rachel today?

Victoria: No, why? She wasn't in the dorms when I got up.

Chloe: jw. Thanks

Audibly sighing, Chloe pockets her phone and throws her head back against the seat, her eyes wandering over her surroundings mindlessly, as her thoughts work their way to the forefront of her mind. 'What the fuck, Rachel?!'

Sitting forward, Chloe reaches over and turns on the radio sat next to the letter that goes unnoticed by her. Sinking into her seat, Chloe starts to subconsciously bob her head along to an unknown heavy rock song, whilst her hand fumbles into her jacket pocket in pursuit of her cigarettes.

Surely if Rachel was just here, she can't be far, right? Maybe she needed to go get something from the store or had to run a quick errand and will be back, right?

Right.

Chloe nods to herself, as she places the cigarette between her lips and lights it, taking a deep drag and letting the smoke and music consume her and her surroundings.

It's only when she finishes her cigarette a few minutes later, that she bothers to check her phone again and notices the time and lack of response from Rachel. Flicking her cigarette, she hits dial once more. Ring, ring, ring. Welcome to voicemail. Chloe grunts and ends the call, kicking her leg out in frustration at the table in front of her. The action causes the bong sitting on top of it to start to wobble to the side. Thinking fast, Chloe launches herself forward and catches it just as it's about to hit the ground. 'Close call,' Chloe thinks to herself, smirking, as she gets up and moves to place it back on the table.

That's when a piece of paper with writing on it, that she hasn't seen before, catches her eye. It's Rachel's writing.

With a curious look on her face, Chloe picks up the letter and starts to read, the bong still clasped in her other hand. As she reads, her face contorts and twists into different expressions. From curiosity, to confusion, to disbelief... And finally, to anger.

Without a second thought, Chloe screams out and twists, hurling the bong full force towards the wall of the junk shack, shattering it into tiny shards of glass. The sunlight, streaming in through the gaps of the shack, gleams off of them as they fly through the air. Using both hands, she angrily scrunches up the letter in her fists and launches the ball towards the trash in the corner of the shack, making the shot in one go.

"Fuck this," Chloe spits, before turning and stamping her way out of the shack.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rachel is busy pacing in her dorm room. She's dressed for the party and ready to go, but Chloe isn't answering her phone or replying to any of her texts. Shit. Did she really react that badly to finding the letter? Is she just not going to talk to Rachel now?

The stressful thoughts cause Rachel to stomp her foot and run her hand anxiously through her hair as she continues to pace.

She shouldn't have ignored Chloe's texts or calls from earlier in the day, but she wasn't ready to talk about it, yet. Now, though, it seems Chloe doesn't want to talk at all and this is all her fault. She had first tried calling Chloe at around 2pm, but since then, Chloe has been ghosting her completely. It's almost 7pm now.

Rachel stops in front of her desk and shakes her head, willing herself to calm down and just do her best to proceed as normal. Picking up phone and keys, she turns and leaves her room.

She isn't going to let this stop her from going to the party tonight. And if anything, she could really use a drink right now.

Stepping out into the hallway, a thought comes to mind. If anyone were to know where Chloe is, besides her, it's surely Victoria.

Making her way down the hallway, she stops outside room 221, her fist raised and hesitates, briefly, before shrugging it off and knocking.

Rachel doesn't wait long before the door suddenly swings open with a cheerful looking Victoria stood before her. Her cheerful expression quickly dissipates, however, when she sees Rachel.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want?" Victoria asks, her voice cold as she crosses her arms.

Usually, Rachel would put on a faux smile and cheerful tone in order to irritate Victoria and get under her skin, but this isn't like other times, so she gets straight to the point.

"Have you heard from Chloe at all today?"

"Yes," Victoria says, shooting Rachel a look as if to say 'duh'. Rachel ignores it, despite the sudden urge to punch her in the face.

"When was the last time you heard from her?"

"Why do you want to know?" Victoria fires back, before uncrossing her arms and placing a hand on one hip, the other raised to her face as she observes her new manicure.

"I haven't heard from her in hours and I'm just worried. We were supposed to go to the party together," Rachel replies. Her look is one of concern, but Victoria doesn't notice as she's too preoccupied with her nails.

Victoria sighs, dropping her hand to her other hip and looks up at Rachel, before rolling her eyes. "Last I heard from her was this afternoon."

"Did she say where she was or what she was doing?" Rachel pushes, her tone sounding slightly desperate.

"Shouldn't you, like, know?" Victoria asks, cocking her eyebrow and head to the side, staring Rachel down. "You two are like BFFs, right?"

"She won't answer any of my texts or calls and I'm worried about her," Rachel huffs, her frustration with Victoria building and her patience dwindling. "Now, will you answer the fucking question, Chase?!"

Victoria scoffs, before letting out a small snort and rolling her eyes again.

Rachel meets her gaze, unwavering and determined for answers, her hands now balled up into fists by her side. Victoria can't help but notice this, though.

"Not that it's any of your business," Victoria starts, her brows furrowing as she crosses her arms, "but she said she was going to the liquor store for drinks for tonight and would see me later."

Rachel's facial expression softens, some relief washing over her with the knowledge that Chloe will still be attending tonight. She doesn't move or speak, instead stood, lost in thought and nodding to herself.

"Satisfied, bitch?" Victoria spits.

When Rachel doesn't reply quick enough, Victoria just audibly sighs and steps back.

"Whatever, I have a party to get ready for. Au revoir," Victoria says, a bored tone in her voice, before slamming the door shut in Rachel's face.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The music is loud, just like the last party Chloe had found herself at. Too loud. The whole street feels like it's shaking, but then again, it could be because she's blind fucking drunk and struggling to walk up the driveway as it is. She has no idea whose house this is, but yet again, it's large and expensive looking. Another elitist asshole from Blackhell. She grunts at the sight.

Taking a few more steps, Chloe stumbles and someone nearby says something, but she doesn't catch it. Everything is a bit of a blur and the lights up ahead are bright and disorientating. People's voices are all around her, whoops and cheers from inside occasionally interrupting them. It's all messy and merging into one, though, like an annoying ringing in her ears that won't go away.

Opening the door, she stumbles yet again, but, fortunately, holds onto the doorknob for support and doesn't fall. Shaking her head, she wills her legs to work and does her best to stand up straight, straightening her beer stained shirt down. Beer that she spilled on herself earlier on her way to the party, but that she still hasn't noticed.

Taking a deep breath, she does her best to focus her gaze at the people around her. The party is in full swing, with swaying bodies everywhere. Chloe isn't sure if they're swaying a little extra for her in her inebriated state, but she doesn't care. She's not here to sway and dance and laugh and have fun. No. She's here to see Rachel. She needs to talk to Rachel.

"Rachel!" Chloe calls out.

Her shout attracts the attention of a few party goers nearby, who turn and look at her disapprovingly. A couple laugh when they see her struggling to stay stood up. Chloe doesn't notice any of this, though, and takes determined (though shaky) steps further into the house.

"Rachel Amber!" Chloe calls again, as she steps foot into what she assumes is the living room.

More party goers turn and take in Chloe's appearance, some turning and whispering into their friend's ear, before erupting into laughter. Chloe doesn't notice.

The room is fairly large, but you wouldn't be able to tell with the amount of bodies packed into it right now. A huge and expensive looking sound system is set up to the side, with a dude attempting to "DJ" stood behind it, his fists pumping into the air, as people around him dance and cheer.

Chloe moves further inside, but she trips on a wire and falls. Fortunately, she doesn't feel any pain or embarrassment, as she slowly backs herself up against a wall and pushes herself up. A girl stood next to her rolls her eyes and pushes herself away from the wall, putting distance between herself and the messy, blue haired drunk.

With her back still slumped against the wall, Chloe takes a moment to catch her breath and find her bearings. Rachel can't be too far. Standing up as straight as she possibly can, Chloe lets her eyes slowly wander over the people around her. They seem like semi-blurred shapes and it's hard to recognise faces.

But there's one face she doesn't fail to clearly recognise up ahead. She spots her through a gap in the crowd. She's dancing with a small group of people and swigging from a red cup. A very distinct blue feather is hanging from her ear, swinging wildly from side to side as she whips her head to the beat of the music. Chloe smirks at the sight.

"Rachel!" Chloe yells once more.

But the music and everyone around her are too loud. Rachel doesn't hear. Chloe watches as a girl leans close to Rachel and whispers something into her ear, causing Rachel to throw her head back and laugh, the girl next to her joining her in a fit of giggles, before throwing an arm around her.

Before today, the sight of Rachel laughing would fill Chloe with a nice sort of warmth. A fuzzy and happy feeling. One she would revel in and enjoy. But now, she finds herself being filled with a different sort of warmth. No, not warmth. Heat. It's not a nice sort of heat. It's making her stomach twist uncomfortably and her teeth have started to grind, causing the muscle in her jaw to pop and contract visibly, whilst her hands subconsciously ball up into fists.

Rachel hasn't heard a word from Chloe all fucking day and here she is, having the time of her life. Carefree and unbothered, laughing with her stupid fucking friends. Completely oblivious to Chloe and her existence. But why would she care? She has someone new in her life to care about now. Right...?

"Fuck you," Chloe spits, pushing herself up from the wall and taking fast and heavy steps in Rachel's direction.

A girl off to her side goes to grab Chloe's arm, but misses. She's nothing but another blur to Chloe, though. The girl then says something, but...

Chloe doesn't notice.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She'd finally caught sight of the punk after a fellow Blackwell student had informed her of a hilarious drunk chick with blue hair in the living room. Victoria had seen Chloe from across the room and she quickly noticed the angry look in her eyes and the aggressive stance she had against the wall. She did her best to get to her through the crowd and see what was up, but she was too late.

It all happens so fast.

One moment, Chloe is there and almost in her grasp, the next, all hell breaks loose.

Victoria stands as she watches Chloe keep walking.

"Chloe, wait!" Victoria shouts, the concern and desperation in her voice lost in the cacophony of the party surrounding them.

Victoria makes a move to follow her, but a tall jock is pushed by his friend in front of her, blocking her path.

If looks could kill, that jock would be six feet under Victoria's heels. Instead, she hastily grabs him by the arms and throws him to the side and out of her way.

That's when she catches a glimpse of Chloe bowling into someone up ahead. She can't make out who, though, so she pushes her way forward to get a better view.

Chloe is in the middle of a sloppy looking wrestling match with a guy that Victoria doesn't recognise. Everyone's attention quickly turns to the shouts between the pair and a small circle has formed around them.

Victoria stands frozen, her mouth agape as she witnesses Chloe throw the guy in a headlock. It's clear Chloe has had a lot to drink, though, as she stumbles and loses her footing, allowing the guy to get his head out from under arm and push her away from him.

Suddenly, the music is cut and all goes quiet, as other party goers join them in the living room out of curiosity.

"Fuck you, man!" Chloe shouts, flipping the guy the finger, her body visibly swaying as she does.

"You need to watch where the fuck you're going next time, bitch!" the guy fires back, his face visibly red, some spit flying out of his mouth and landing on Chloe's face.

"Blow me," Chloe shouts, closing the distance between herself and the guy.

"Shut the fuck up, dyke!"

"What did you just call me?!"

"Dyke! Fucking slut!"

Chloe lurches forward, her fist balled up and ready to make impact with the guy's face. Only, in her drunken state, she misses by a mile and falls forward into the sound system that's set up next to them.

"Fuck!" Chloe screams, bringing her fist down on the turntable she's hunched over. An audible crack is heard, before she pulls her leg back and brings it kicking forwards, the toe of her boot impaling a speaker on the floor. She goes to pull her foot out, but it's stuck. Instead, she loses her footing once more and falls, knocking over some other equipment which crashes around her. A beer (presumably belonging to the DJ), perched near where the turntable is, wobbles and falls amongst it all, causing a few sparks to fly along with a crackling sound.

Shocked gasps and laughter is heard all around at the sight. People are all gathered around, phones in hands, recording. Victoria has no idea what to do, she simply stays frozen in shock.

"Chloe!" a girl shouts.

Victoria looks up and sees Rachel has pushed her way through the crowd and is staring down at Chloe on the floor.

Chloe seems oblivious, though, her body sprawled out on the floor, some minor groaning sounds emanating from her.

"That's it!" a guy is heard shouting. "You're so fucking screwed, bitch! I've called the cops, they'll be here in no time!"

Victoria recognises the voice and looks over to where Nathan is stood, phone in hand and a livid look on his face. She springs into action once she processes his words and makes a move towards him. However, Nathan brushes her off and walks towards Chloe.

"You destroyed my fucking sound system, you stupid bitch," Nathan spits, leaning down as he does so his face is closer to Chloe's. "Did you hear me, cunt?!"

Chloe just groans and rolls over, her eyes half lidded. Victoria can see her shirt is torn and stained, despite it having ridden up, exposing her abdomen.

"Out of the way, people! This is the police! Make room!" a voice shouts from across the room.

Victoria feels sick. She glances over to where Rachel is, only to find she's no longer there. She's moved and is now kneeling by Chloe, shaking her shoulder and whispering in her ear. Nathan has backed off, a smug, yet evil, looking grin on his face as he waits for the approaching officer.

Officer Anderson Berry pushes his way through the crowd and appears next to Nathan. He quickly takes notice of the mess on the floor... And the damaged sound system. Without saying a word, he approaches Chloe and Rachel, before pushing Rachel to the side and roughly picking Chloe up by her arms. He gives her a shake and does his best to get her to meet his gaze.

"Hey! Wake up!" Berry shouts, shaking Chloe once more.

No luck. Chloe's head just lulls and she remains unresponsive.

Berry shakes his head in disgust and begins to drag Chloe out in the direction of the door. People move to the side and make room as he does. Nathan follows behind quietly.

Snapping herself into action, Victoria quickly side steps some people and works her way behind Nathan.

Once outside in the front yard, Officer Berry sits Chloe down by his cruiser, her body limp as she leans back against it. Victoria breathes a sigh of relief when she hears Chloe groan and notices her eyes opening briefly to look up at Officer Berry.

"So, what happened here?" Berry asks, pulling a notepad and pen from his pocket, before turning to look at Nathan and Victoria.

"I have no idea. One minute, I'm partying, the next, I can hear shouting and see this piece of shit destroying my things," Nathan replies, pointing his finger at Chloe. "That's when I called you."

"Your things?" Officer Berry asks, scribbling something down in his notepad as he does.

"Yeah, it's not my house, but that's my sound system. I had it brought in for the party. It's fucking expensive, too! My dad won't be happy about this!" Nathan spits, his brows furrowing at Chloe.

Berry just nods and puts his notepad and pen away. "I'll take care of it. Sorry this happened, Mr Prescott."

Nathan just nods and takes a swig from his drink. Berry watches, saying nothing, despite the fact he's underage and drinking. Nathan Prescott is the son of the man he works for, after all.

"Nathan," Victoria finally speaks up.

"What?" Nathan asks, snapping his head around to look at her for the first time since coming outside.

"I'll pay for the damage," Victoria sighs, "just please, let Chloe go."

Both Officer Berry and Nathan cock an eyebrow at Victoria and silently look at her for a few moments. Nathan is the first to break the silence.

"What?" Nathan snorts. "You're going to pay for the damage?"

"You know I'm good for it," Victoria says, forcing her tone to remain confident and cool.

"It's a fucking twenty thousand dollar set up, Vic! You sure you wanna waste that much on this trash?"

"That's fine. My dad will wire me the money if I ask for it," Victoria nods, crossing her arms.

Nathan sighs, taking another swig of his drink, whilst locking his gaze with Victoria's over his cup.

"Fine," Nathan says, letting out a small burp. "You owe me."

Victoria just nods, choosing to stay silent.

Officer Berry audibly clears his throat, causing Victoria and Nathan to look back at him.

"I think it's best I still take Miss Price here to the station," Berry says, casting a glance over at Chloe as he does.

"You know her name?" Nathan snorts.

"Yeah, I'm familiar with this one," Officer Berry snorts, shaking his head.

"I bet," Nathan says, mirroring Berry's actions.

"Why take her to the station?" Victoria pipes up.

"She's clearly very inebriated, Miss Chase. I think it's best she sobers up somewhere where I can keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't do anything else she'll come to regret."

"You can just leave her with me, I'll get her home safely," Victoria says.

"Nah, take her," Nathan scoffs, "I think she deserves a brief stay behind bars. Anderson is right, she's dangerous right now. Don't want you getting hurt, Vic."

Officer Berry just nods, before moving over to pick Chloe up again.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you," Victoria snaps.

"I can't allow you in the cruiser, Miss Chase," Officer Berry says, his back turned to Victoria as he opens the door and pushes Chloe into the back.

Victoria sighs and rolls her eyes. "Fine, I'll just follow you there in my car."

Closing the door on Chloe, Officer Berry turns and nods at Victoria. "That's your choice, Miss."

"Okay, I'll just go grab my things then. I'll see you there," Victoria says, shooting Officer Berry a small smile.

Nathan just grunts and takes another swig from his drink, ignoring Victoria as he makes his way back inside.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Nathan!" Rachel calls out, pushing her way through the crowd and out into the hallway.

Nathan is on his way into the kitchen when he hears his name and turns to see Rachel moving towards him.

"Sup, Rach?" Nathan asks, before finishing off his drink and crushing the cup in his hand.

"Where's Chloe? Is she being taken to the station?!" Rachel asks, her face full of concern.

"Yeah," Nathan nods. "She's totally shit-faced, Rach, she needs to sober up."

Rachel looks away, shaking her head. "Shit. This is my fault."

"No, it's not. She just had too much to drink and couldn't handle it," Nathan scoffs, "fucking lightweight."

"Nathan, please don't press charges," Rachel pleads, turning to look up at Nathan. "Chloe's just going through a bit of a rough patch."

"Not my fucking problem!" Nathan spits, shaking his head. "She fucked up, big time! There's no excuse! My dad got me that sound system."

"Please, Nathan. Is there anything I can do? Just please don't make Chloe pay for this!" Rachel says, grabbing Nathan's arms and looking him square in the eyes.

Nathan stays silent and meets her gaze. He can sense the girl's desperation. And she looks so fucking good tonight. He wishes he could have her in front of his lens, so he could capture it. Her beauty. Her vulnerability. Her fear.

Her 'moment of desperation,' a familiar voice echoes in the back of his head.

Rachel is still silent, her eyes still pleading with Nathan's. Confusion breaks out across her face when Nathan's serious expression shifts into a wide grin as he glances around them, despite no one being around.

"Okay, Amber," Nathan laughs, looking back down at Rachel, "for you, I won't press charges against your friend."

Rachel breathes a sigh of relief and smiles up at Nathan, before throwing her arms around him in a hug.

"But, there is something you can do for me," Nathan adds, causing Rachel to lean back and look up at him.

"Okay. What's that?" Rachel asks, her eyes searching his face.

"Come back to mine and have a drink with me," Nathan says, winking. "This party is dead now, but we could bring it back to life back at my place. Only fair seen as it was your friend that ruined this one, right?"

Rachel smiles and nods her head. "That seems fair. I really am sorry about what happened, Nate."

Nathan grins again, before throwing his arm around Rachel's shoulder and moving them towards the door.

"Don't worry about it, Rach. Our little party is gonna be way better than this one, anyway."


End file.
